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State charts course to clean water future

A new report by the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board charts a 10-year agenda for protecting and restoring Minnesota's water resources.

The report, 2010 Minnesota Water Plan, establishes strategies and principles for ensuring the availability and sustainability of clean water for current and future generations.

There is widespread understanding of the challenges Minnesotans face in safeguarding the state's water resources. Today, 40 percent of tested surface waters are impaired. Additionally, limits to water supplies have become apparent in the metropolitan growth corridor and locally around the state. The challenge for local and state officials is finding locally appropriate solutions for meeting water demands while protecting water quality and ecosystems.

The water plan, prepared every 10 years, identifies steps the state must take to meet its long-term needs. The report details nine strategies and seven principles for sustainable water management. It calls for new efforts to understand state ground-water systems and the role they play in nourishing surface waters and identifies additional steps to protect Minnesota's lakes and streams. With the support and engagement of local land and water interests, the plan calls for:
 

  • Setting priorities
  • Adapting management practices
  • Increasing protection efforts
  • Promoting the wise use of water
  • Restoring local management capacity

 

Creator
Minnesota Environmental Quality Board. Water program
Publication Date
Counties
Minnesota
Rights
Public