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.

Obama's budget: An agency-by-agency glance
From Agriculture to Veterans affairs, here's a top-level breakdown on where the Obama Administration says it would like to place its budget priorities for FY 2015.
This nitrate chart looks worrisome. Is it?
A rising percentage of new wells in Minnesota hit nitrate-contaminated water. It needs to be watched.
Should voluntary water regulations for farmers be made mandatory?
– Dave Peters, editor, Beneath the Surface, Minnesota’s Pending Ground Water Challenge You can’t talk about water use in Minnesota for long before you get around to talking about farming. That’s clear from two recent stories by MPR News. One, by MPR News reporter Dan Gunderson, showed how increased irrigation and leaching of nitrates from…
Minnesota is rich in water, but our use of it seems less sustainable than it once did. Two state officials talked about water issues with Daily Circuit host Tom Weber.
The so-called "green infrastructure" grant will help the city reduce stormwater runoff from the Lake Superior Zoo parking lot and Chambers Grove Park at Duluth's far southern edge, both of which were extensively damaged by flooding in 2012. A third project will help redevelop a contaminated site near the St. Louis River that once housed a cement plant.
Should farmers be forced to change?
Farm practices are a key part of the conversation about groundwater sustainability in Minnesota. Are voluntary efforts enough?
Big rise in irrigation pumping draws DNR attention to Minnesota's 'Bonanza Valley'
A 175 percent increase in irrigation pumping over 25 years has caused the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to single out this west central Minnesota area as one of three places to focus on groundwater management.