Special Water Bodies

Not only is Minnesota a land of 12,000 lakes, it’s also home to national and world treasures like the Mississippi River and Lake Superior. While much of MCEA’s water quality work addresses policies to benefit all of Minnesota’s waters—big and small—we also focus specific attention on the Mississippi River Basin, Lake Pepin, the Great Lakes, the Minnesota River and the Red River. These waters are among Minnesota’s most prized or compromised natural resources, and maintaining or restoring their health is vital to the quality of the state’s water systems as a whole.