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MDA: Nitrate pollution in Southeast Minnesota groundwater is longstanding; solutions will take years
Summary
Minnesota Department of Agriculture officials told a Senate committee that elevated nitrate in parts of Southeast Minnesota stems from decades of land use and geology, and outlined monitoring, outreach and treatment work underway, including township programs, monitoring wells and private well reverse-osmosis installations.
Tom Peterson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, told the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on March 5 that nitrate contamination in parts of Minnesota developed over decades and will take a long-term effort to address.
"It took decades to create the current nitrate conditions in Minnesota. It will take a concerted effort over many years to significantly improve our water resources," Peterson said, adding that Minnesota has taken significant actions and that the department is focused on expanding adoption of protective practices in high‑risk areas.
Margaret Wagner, manager of the fertilizer nonpoint section at MDA, described a mix of monitoring, regulatory and voluntary programs the agency is using in Southeast Minnesota. She said MDA combines the Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Plan with the Groundwater Protection Rule to provide a voluntary and regulatory framework and that monitoring informs outreach and prioritization.
Wagner said the department completed a township testing program in 2019 to characterize private‑well nitrate levels in vulnerable areas, is…
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