The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recently released a report that found that many areas in the Twin Cities’ Mississippi River watershed do not support aquatic life or recreation.
The report’s results weren’t surprising, but some say it reflects how much more money Minnesota spends on this research than Wisconsin.
Minnesota and Wisconsin have comparable watershed pollution issues and collect similar water monitoring data. But some say Minnesota’s is much more comprehensive, mostly because Minnesota has more money to pay for these studies. Voters approved a slight tax increase in 2008, with part of the revenue going towards clean water efforts.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Water Monitoring Section Chief Tim Asplund says they have been collecting watershed data for years, but it’s on a smaller scale and it takes more time. The DNR’s goal over the next few years, he says, is to reevaluate and expand its water monitoring strategy.
“We can do a certain level with the amount of funding we have now,” says Asplund. “But what we’d like to do is show that we may be able to get to more waters more quickly and more comprehensively if we had a little more funding.”
Asplund says water monitoring is the first piece needed when solving water pollution problems. He says, ultimately, people want lakes, streams, and rivers that are safe and support life.
