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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.

DNR opening more space for trout fishing

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is giving metro-area anglers more opportunities for trout fishing, just in time for Saturday's stream trout opener.
by Martin Moylan

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What would you do with $1 million to spend on water?

A symposium on water in Minneapolis ended with the question, what would you do with a million dollars to spend on water in Minnesota? It got three different answers that had something in common.
by Dave Peters

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Court to reconsider Winona County frac sand mine decision

Court to reconsider Winona County frac sand mine decision

If it reverses Winona County's decision and requires a more detailed review of the Nisbit mine, mining likely would have to stop the project while a more in-depth review is conducted.
by Elizabeth Baier

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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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