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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.

COVID boosted efforts to track diseases in wastewater

COVID boosted efforts to track diseases in wastewater

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater sampling wasn't routinely done for public health purposes. But as the case number climbed scientists and public health officials saw the value of getting a sneak peek of where the virus was spreading, and where the next hot spot might be.
by Kirsti Marohn

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New fines and awareness help reduce litter on Minnesota lakes, but advocates want more action

New fines and awareness help reduce litter on Minnesota lakes, but advocates want more action

Lake advocates say a recent state law is helping curb the problem of trash left on Minnesota’s frozen lakes. But they're hoping for more action, including passage of a bill requiring state agencies establish a statewide “Keep It Clean” program and provide funding for local cleanup efforts.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Drone surveys help scientists understand impact of Rapidan Dam ‘avulsive failure’

Drone surveys help scientists understand impact of Rapidan Dam ‘avulsive failure’

Documenting and researching this type of dam failure is a way for researchers to help get data out to public officials and respond in case something like this were to happen again in another place.
by Hannah Yang

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Water-guzzling data centers spark worries for Minnesota’s groundwater

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.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Stauber reintroduces bill to reverse mining ban near Boundary Waters, return leases to Twin Metals

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.
by Dan Kraker

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Long before RFK Jr., Brainerd fought bitter legal battle over fluoride in its water supply

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.”
by Kirsti Marohn

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A drop in groundwater could mean big trouble for a tiny snail as Nevada lithium project presses on

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.
by The Associated Press

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‘Livers of the river’: Feds propose designating rivers as critical habitat for freshwater mussels

‘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.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Twenty years after first proposed, NewRange still vying to build Minnesota’s first copper mine

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.
by Dan Kraker

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