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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.

Senate approves tougher water permit rules for DNR

Senate approves tougher water permit rules for DNR

The Minnesota Senate approved legislation that would give the Department of Natural Resources more authority to fine irrigators and others who use large amounts of groundwater without a permit.
by Dave Peters

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Environmental group questions Senate funds for White Bear Lake solution

Environmental group questions Senate funds for White Bear Lake solution

Friends of the Mississippi River says a Senate proposal to spend $800,000 studying whether to fill White Bear Lake with river water is a bad idea. It doesn’t solve the larger problem and it’s already being studied by the Metropolitan Council, the group says.
by Elizabeth Dunbar

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Unchecked irrigation threatens to sap Minnesota groundwater

Unchecked irrigation threatens to sap Minnesota groundwater

An MPR News investigation shows that several hundred Minnesota farmers are probably pumping groundwater to irrigate their crops without required permits, making it harder for the state to understand and regulate what's happening to a water resource increasingly seen as vulnerable.
by Mark Steil

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How we did the irrigation well permit story

How MPR News found hundreds of irrigation wells pumping groundwater without a required state permit.
by Dave Peters

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Should Minnesota try to attract more water-intensive companies?

Should Minnesota try to attract more water-intensive companies?

“Charles Fishman thinks Minnesota should sell its water. No, not the way that you might be thinking, in a pipeline from Lake Superior to someplace in the desert like Las Vegas. But as an asset, to water-intensive industries like microchip makers, and on one big condition – that they give the water back in the…
by Michael Olson

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In Cold Spring, it's trout vs Lost Trout in tension over water and beer

In Cold Spring, it's trout vs Lost Trout in tension over water and beer

For more than a century the brewery in Cold Spring has drawn increasing amounts of water for its operations from a nearby trout stream. But the state says it's time to stop, so the hunt is on for a new source of water. That's proving difficult.
by Jennifer Vogel

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Water scarcity presents opportunity for Minnesota companies

Water scarcity presents opportunity for Minnesota companies

Although concerns about sustainable water use is usually considered a problem, they also can present a business opportunity. That’s the topic for a “water technology summit” the state Department of Employment and Economic Development is holding on Tuesday.
by Elizabeth Dunbar

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Even in region with abundant water, residents turn to bottles and try to conserve

Even in region with abundant water, residents turn to bottles and try to conserve

Southeastern Minnesota has plentiful groundwater sources, but the geology in the region makes some of those sources vulnerable to contamination. So cities deal with the challenge by looking for clean water and urging conservation.
by Elizabeth Baier

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Wild rice study reveals more questions for state officials

Wild rice study reveals more questions for state officials

Three years after the Legislature ordered a study on how a key pollutant affects wild rice, state officials said more questions remain about whether and how Minnesota water quality standards should change.
by Elizabeth Dunbar and Dan Kraker

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