Water

FMR is proud to be a leading voice in protecting the water of our Big River and all the people and wildlife who depend on it.

From the banks of the Mississippi to the halls of the Legislature, our Water program strives to keep you up to date on important water-quality issues. (For political animals, here are all FMR posts related to legislative advocacy.)

Updates are also shared on social (Facebook and Instagram) and in FMR's Mississippi Messages newsletter.

Join us! Sign up to be a River Guardian to receive email action alerts when we need your help the most, plus invitations to educational happy hours and other events.

POSTS

The flood forecast

by Peter LaFontaine

March 11, 2020

A waterlogged 2019 makes for a floody 2020. Here's what Minnesota is gearing up for as the spring melt approaches. >>

Action Alert: Protect the 'People's Environmental Law' [CLOSED]

March 4, 2020

The 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is our nation’s bedrock “look before you leap” environmental law. The Trump administration has proposed deeply troubling rollbacks to it. Please show your support for "The People's Environmental Law" before March 10, 2020. >>

Join the fight to protect landmark environmental law

by Trevor Russell

March 4, 2020

The Trump Administration announced proposed changes that would severely undermine the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) – a decades-old law that ensures thorough scientific review and public participation in major environmental projects. >>

Why rivers flood

by Trevor Russell

February 14, 2020

Community water supplies at risk. Sediment and pollutants washing downstream. Catastrophic floods right around the corner — A recent Star Tribune article reminds us of the growing threat high flows and erosion pose for the Minnesota River — and the toll that takes on our waters and communities. >>

Viruses, floods and an economic shoving match: All in a day's work on the farm

by Peter LaFontaine

February 10, 2020

What does coronavirus have to do with the economic prospects of rural communities in 2020? In our endlessly entangled global market, it turns out that a public health crisis on the other side of the planet can have shockwaves felt here in Minnesota. We see this as yet another sign that it's time to shift our agricultural practices, for both the river and our farming communities. >>

What matters to our River Guardians in 2020

February 10, 2020

Thank you for taking our Legislative Priorities Survey! See which issues our River Guardians value and what they had to say about what Minnesota can do for our river this session. >>

State names cities to be protected by Groundwater Protection Rule

by Trevor Russell

January 24, 2020

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has reached a major milestone by identifying which communities are eligible for protection under the state’s new Groundwater Protection Rule. >>

You say potato, I say fiasco

by Peter LaFontaine

January 22, 2020

Here's what one farmer's fight tells us about agriculture, public health and our state's exasperating approach to balancing priorities. >>

Report: One in eight Minnesotans drink groundwater with elevated nitrate

by Trevor Russell

January 15, 2020

Drinking water for an estimated half a million Minnesotans is drawn from groundwater contaminated with elevated levels of nitrate, a toxic pollutant that is linked to cancer and is especially dangerous for infants, according to a recent Environmental Working Group analysis of federal and state test data. >>

Tell us your thoughts on FMR's 2020 legislative priorities

January 13, 2020

We value your feedback! Please take our survey and let us know which of our top four legislative priorities for the 2020 session are important to you. And if any of these feel especially important, we'd love to know why. >>