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Jan 24, 2008

MN polluted waters top 1,400

From David Dempsey

If all Great Lakes states were doing as good a job as Minnesota is in testing waters and identifying pollution problems, what would the Basin-wide total be?

Extensive testing has pushed the number of Minnesota lakes and streams known to be polluted to a record 1,400.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said Tuesday it wants to add nearly 300 "impairments" to the list, which is updated every two years.

[snip] The number could grow in coming years. Only about 18 percent of Minnesota's lakes and 14 percent of its rivers have been assessed so far. Of those tested, about 40 percent fail and are listed for at least one pollutant.