Water

Water shortages and problems around Minnesota — and the country — have many wondering what is the true cost of clean and reliable water. This reporting is supported in part by The Water Main, a project of American Public Media.

Water-guzzling data centers spark worries for Minnesota’s groundwater
A single large data center can use millions of gallons of water a day, as much as thousands of homes. But pinpointing exactly how many are being built and how much water they’ll use can be a challenge, even for state regulators.
Stauber reintroduces bill to reverse mining ban near Boundary Waters, return leases to Twin Metals
Northern Minnesota Republican Congressman Pete Stauber has reintroduced legislation to overturn a 20-year mining ban near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. If passed, the bill would also return mineral leases to Twin Metals, the company vying to build an underground copper mine near Ely.
Long before RFK Jr., Brainerd fought bitter legal battle over fluoride in its water supply
The topic of whether to fluoridate drinking water is back in the public sphere again, in part because of the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary. It’s an issue that caused a decades long debate in the central Minnesota town of Brainerd, which is looking back on that period with an original show, “Fluoride, the Musical.”
A drop in groundwater could mean big trouble for a tiny snail as Nevada lithium project presses on
Opponents of a huge lithium mine under construction in Nevada want U.S. officials to investigate whether the project already has caused a drop in groundwater levels that could lead to extinction of a tiny snail.
‘Livers of the river’: Feds propose designating rivers as critical habitat for freshwater mussels
Freshwater mussels were once abundant throughout Minnesota’s waterways. But their populations have declined due to habitat loss, pollution, dam construction and competition from invasive species.
Twenty years after first proposed, NewRange still vying to build Minnesota’s first copper mine
Nearly 20 years after it was first proposed to state and federal regulators, the project formerly known as PolyMet Mining — now NewRange Copper Nickel — soldiers on, despite environmental groups’ contention that the project in its current form is dead.
Impacts of Rapidan Dam breach on Minnesota likely to be long-lasting
Six months after the Blue Earth River carved its way around the Rapidan Dam near Mankato, the surrounding community is still coming to terms with the damage and its longer-term implications. Sediment levels in the river remain high, and a nearby bridge is now being replaced.
Record dryness in US Northeast should change water behavior, experts say
The U.S. Northeast is experiencing an unusually severe and widespread drought during months that are typically the wettest. Experts say major changes need to happen to avoid future critical shortages of water and as the climate warms droughts will continue to intensify, which should prompt communities to use this drought as motivation to implement long-term solutions.
What a mollusc shell and fiber optic cables have in common
A heart cockle shell has been found to let in light through a design that resembles fiber optic cables. This could inspire everything from helping coral survive to designing new camera lenses.