From Bemidji to the Border Minnesota Ramps Up Mississippi River Water Quality Monitoring

(KNSI) — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) says it will monitor water quality on the entire section of the Mississippi River that runs through the state this year.

Leaders from the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, and the Metropolitan Council joined MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler to formally kick off the water monitoring season. If successful, it would be the first time the MPCA has undertaken such a comprehensive project.

Over 50 spots between Bemidji and the Iowa border will be sampled for water and aquatic life to gauge factors like temperature, transparency, and levels of pollutants like phosphorus, nitrogen, and ammonia. MPCA crews use electrofishing to collect fish, measure them, identify abnormalities, and return them to the water. The agency also collects insects from river habitats, including bottom sediment and stream banks, for laboratory evaluation.

Water monitoring allows the MPCA to identify and address emerging pollution concerns before they become a bigger problem, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) contamination. It will help them identify and stop sources of these “forever chemicals” from entering the Mississippi.

Officials say they want to provide a complete picture of water quality along the 650-mile stretch of the river within the state. The MPCA has previously gathered water samples from designated stretches of the river over many years but has never attempted to sample the entire river in Minnesota during a single monitoring season.

The information collected will be used to direct funding and other resources for river clean-up and to improve water quality in Minnesota and downstream.

Kessler says monitoring is “critical to clean water,” and by doing so, “we are supporting safe drinking water, enjoyable recreation, tourism, and Minnesota’s strong economy.” She added that it is “critical to maintaining a healthy river downstream.”

This monitoring effort is supported with funding from Minnesota’s Clean Water Fund.

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