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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.

In NW Wisconsin, a county finds paying homeowners to keep shorelines natural pays off

In NW Wisconsin, a county finds paying homeowners to keep shorelines natural pays off

Advocates concerned about Minnesota’s vanishing wild shorelines often cite Burnett County’s success with a program that sends a check each year to property owners who follow its lakeshore rules. At Warner Lake, it’s helping keep the water clean.
by Kirsti Marohn

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‘Quit mowing’: Turning Minnesota lake homeowners into shoreline stewards, one lawn at a time

‘Quit mowing’: Turning Minnesota lake homeowners into shoreline stewards, one lawn at a time

A program born in the Brainerd Lakes Area to protect natural shorelines and curb pollution also wants to reset Minnesota’s lake culture. It’s led by property owners, including some who helped create the current environmental problems.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Unchecked development, lax regulation push Minnesota lakeshores to the edge

Unchecked development, lax regulation push Minnesota lakeshores to the edge

Development has destroyed nearly half the natural shorelines that help protect Minnesota lakes from erosion and pollution. Reversing that means convincing people that their vision of beauty is killing the thing they love.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Protecting Minnesota’s vanishing natural shorelines

Protecting Minnesota’s vanishing natural shorelines

Many Minnesota lakes are in trouble. Nearly half of our state’s natural shorelines have been lost. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her guests about how to prevent shoreline erosion on the lakes we love.
by Angela Davis and Cari Dwyer

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Restored tribal land ends uncertainty for a family living on Mille Lacs Lake

Restored tribal land ends uncertainty for a family living on Mille Lacs Lake

Members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe say they have lived on the same parcel of land on the southside of Mille Lacs Lake since before it was claimed by the state for the school trust. This year the state passed legislation restoring the small parcel to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
by Melissa Olson

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1 million gallons of ash wastewater spilled from northern Minnesota coal plant

1 million gallons of ash wastewater spilled from northern Minnesota coal plant

Duluth-based Minnesota Power says it is working closely with state and federal agencies after an estimated 1 million gallons of coal ash wastewater leaked from a pipeline at Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset into a nearby lake.
by Dan Kraker

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Program provides free water test kits for private well users in southeastern Minnesota

Program provides free water test kits for private well users in southeastern Minnesota

Private well users can receive free water test kits to check for contamination with the option to apply for financial assistance in fixing any contamination. This can include installing water treatment equipment, fixing wells or sometimes even installing a new well. 
by Chandra Colvin

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Rapidan Dam partial failure sent more than a century’s worth of sediment pollution downstream

Rapidan Dam partial failure sent more than a century’s worth of sediment pollution downstream

Rapidan Dam’s partial failure sent an estimated 11.6 million cubic yards of sediment downstream. Experts are worried about its ecological impacts and say it could take years to fully understand them.
by Hannah Yang

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20-year-old loops Lake Superior solo in 42 days, buoyed by climate change awareness

20-year-old loops Lake Superior solo in 42 days, buoyed by climate change awareness

A triple science major at the College of St. Scholastica may be both the fastest and youngest to circumnavigate Lake Superior in a kayak — and he’s hoping the 1,000-mile trip will draw more attention to climate change’s effects in Minnesota.
by Cathy Wurzer and Gracie Stockton

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