We took this issue on because community members wanted our help addressing one of the most persistent threats to water quality in our state: nitrate pollution in our lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater. It’s left their water unsafe to drink, and many of their streams and rivers unhealthy for fish and other aquatic life.
The primary source of the contamination is industrial agriculture – specifically nitrogen pollution from widespread commercial fertilizer and manure application that leaches into groundwater. That groundwater is then carried to rivers and streams by agricultural drainage systems. In fact, runoff from agricultural land accounts for more than 70% of the nitrogen now found in Minnesota’s waters. When applied at reasonable rates, nitrogen is an important nutrient for plant growth. But too much of it is dangerous for public health, as well as the health of fish and other aquatic life.
As we’ve seen industrial-scale agriculture balloon over the past 30 years - most evident in the growth of animal feedlots and monoculture row crop production - we’ve watched nitrate levels rise to crisis proportions in certain regions of our state.
Some of the impacts couldn’t be closer to home: Thousands of Minnesotans in Southeastern Minnesota and beyond can’t trust the water from their kitchen sink because nitrate levels in their public and private wells exceed the federal human health standard. Drinking water with too much nitrate in it puts them at increased risk for developing certain forms of cancer, experiencing birth defects and pregnancy complications, as well as other health harms.
Other impacts reach across the country: Nutrient pollution from the Midwest is also one of the main drivers of a massive “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, where fish and marine life cannot survive.
Local community members can’t be left to address this crisis alone, and relying on the good-will of polluters to clean up their act has proven ineffective over the years.
We need targeted regulations of the industrial farming practices that threaten our water backed up by consistent enforcement. MCEA is committed to pushing our local, state and federal authorities to make these changes. We have the expertise and experience to be successful, and we won’t stop until every Minnesotan has water that is safe to drink, fish and swim in.
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