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.

Impacts of Rapidan Dam breach on Minnesota likely to be long-lasting
Six months after the Blue Earth River carved its way around the Rapidan Dam near Mankato, the surrounding community is still coming to terms with the damage and its longer-term implications. Sediment levels in the river remain high, and a nearby bridge is now being replaced.
Record dryness in US Northeast should change water behavior, experts say
The U.S. Northeast is experiencing an unusually severe and widespread drought during months that are typically the wettest. Experts say major changes need to happen to avoid future critical shortages of water and as the climate warms droughts will continue to intensify, which should prompt communities to use this drought as motivation to implement long-term solutions.
What a mollusc shell and fiber optic cables have in common
A heart cockle shell has been found to let in light through a design that resembles fiber optic cables. This could inspire everything from helping coral survive to designing new camera lenses.
Research finds insecticide common in shallow ground water across Minnesota
New research found widespread contamination by neonicotinoid insecticides in shallow groundwater across Minnesota. The neurotoxic chemicals are the mostly widely used class of insecticide in the U.S.
Should Minnesota continue to put lottery dollars toward the environment?
Currently 40 percent of proceeds from the state lottery go into a fund aimed at protecting the state’s environment. Voters will decide next week whether to renew the fund for another 25 years, but a proposed addition is getting some pushback.
Hastings to receive 3M settlement money to treat 'forever chemicals'
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced it's linked PFAS contamination in one of Hastings’ wells to 3M's Cottage Grove facility. City officials say the money will help, but won’t cover the full $70 million to build three new treatment plants.
Push to map Great Lakes bottom gains momentum amid promises effort will help fishing and shipping
What lies beneath the Great Lakes' waves is largely unknown, but there's a new push to learn more about thousands of shipwrecks, underwater infrastructure and the impacts of climate change on the bottom of the world's largest freshwater system.
In Mille Lacs, divers go deep to uncover lake’s trash problem
On Mille Lacs, Minnesota’s second-largest inland lake and a premier fishing destination, concern has been growing over garbage left behind by ice anglers and other lake users. Divers from a nonprofit group based in Lake Tahoe, Nev., recently spent two weeks taking a closer look at Mille Lacs’ submerged litter to better understand where it’s coming from, and how to prevent it.