At the Minnesota Star Tribune, Jeff Hargarten and Jennifer Bjorhus have done some powerful reporting in Nitrate contamination of Minnesota waters shows little sign of going away, despite years of effort; Farm pollution persists despite hundreds of millions spent to clean it up.
Here's the extended lede:
Minnesota has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and decades of effort to reduce nitrate that's contaminating drinking water and rivers. The progress so far: negligible.
The main source of the nitrate is nitrogen fertilizer, a pillar of production agriculture that includes animal manure and synthetic chemicals. Farmers apply tens of thousands of tons of fertilizers to their fields every year, and what isn't absorbed by crops can seep into aquifers and any runoff can end up in rivers.
Despite numerous programs designed to encourage farmers to change their ways, purchases of fertilizer keep growing. In many parts of Minnesota farm country, drinking water wells and streams carry that legacy: A decades-old state law limits how much nitrate is allowed in drinking water, although some researchers now say that level needs to be much stricter to protect people.
The three agencies tasked with keeping Minnesota waters clear of harmful levels of nitrate acknowledge that the situation isn't improving, particularly for private wells in the vulnerable topography of the state's hilly southeastern corner. In that region, frustrated residents have called for the federal government to intervene on what environmental groups call a public health emergency — and the EPA recently responded with a directive that Minnesota clean up its act.
A lack of progress
Nitrate levels of 10 milligrams per liter of water or higher have violated federal health standards since the 1960s, since those concentrations are known to cause the potentially life-threatening condition methemoglobinemia, or blue baby syndrome, that starves infants of oxygen.
But there's a push to reduce the state and federal nitrate standard from the 10 mg/l limit, given growing research around links to cancer and other damaging health impacts from drinking water with nitrate at half the legal maximum concentration, or even lower. . . .
Read the rest at the Strib. I anticipate this article will induce more howling fantods on the part of some legislators and agency staff suffering from acute regulatory capture.
Photo: Utica, Minn., a farm town of about 200 people in Winona County.
Related posts
- Land Stewardship Project applauds court’s support of Winona County; launches ‘Story Center Powerline’ initiative for rural residents
- Minnesota district court rules against Winona County dairy expansion; owner will appeal
- Agweek Special Report on Rural Health: 10% of MN private wells pose a health problem
- Following emergency petition regarding nitrate contamination in SEMN karst region, EPA sees further action needed to protect public health
- On ‘Cancer Road,’ a group of southeastern MN families ask if nitrate exposure is to blame
- Strib scrutinizes MN Department of Ag action on nitrate-related Groundwater Protection Rule
- Nitrates in Southwestern Minnesota water: 'Do not give the water to infants' in Ellsworth
- Commentary from MinnPost: Can the state control nitrates in Minnesota waters?
- Minnesota Department of Health isn’t properly enforcing drinking water law, and kids will suffer
- Jean Wagenius: For climate and clean water, state agencies need Walz to lead
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