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Letter: When it Comes to Addressing Nitrates, State Needs an Effective Public Engagement Campaign

LSP & Allies Call for Several Action Steps on the Part of MDH, MPCA & MDA

December 18, 2023

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Note: In April 2023, the Land Stewardship Project joined 10 other groups in filing a petition calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to use its emergency authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act to address the fact that nitrate contamination is causing “an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health” in the karst region of southeastern Minnesota — Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha, and Winona counties. In response, in early November the EPA requested that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDH), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH develop a plan for dealing with the nitrate pollution issue and provide safe drinking water to residents with wells above the maximum contaminant level. Earlier this month, the state agencies responded to the EPA request with a work plan to address the issue. Last week, LSP, along with several allies, submitted a letter to the MDA, MPCA, and MDH calling for a work plan process that fully engages input from the people most impacted by nitrate pollution in the karst region: the people who live in southeastern Minnesota. The letter from LSP and its allies, which is presented below, lays out several action steps. For more information, contact LSP organizer Martin Moore via e-mail. or at our office in Lewiston (507-523-3366).

Monday, Dec. 11, 2023

Brooke Cunningham, M.D., Commissioner
Minnesota Department of Health
brooke.cunningham@state.mn.us  

Katrina Kessler, Commissioner
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
katrina.kessler@state.mn.us  

Thom Petersen, Commissioner
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
thom.petersen@state.mn.us 

Dear Commissioners Cunningham, Kessler, and Petersen, 

As you know, on Friday, December 1st, the state agencies you lead submitted a work plan to the EPA outlining next steps in addressing nitrate contamination in southeastern Minnesota.  

We are encouraged to see state agencies taking additional steps to mitigate this issue. In the Environmental Protection Agency’s response, it was noted that state agencies are currently in the process of “discussing how to conduct stakeholder engagement with an array of partners… beginning this winter.” Given the Land Stewardship Project’s (LSP) extensive membership/stakeholder base in southeastern Minnesota, and state agencies’ current discussions on this topic, LSP, on behalf of the undersigned petitioner organizations, proposes the following actions be taken as part of a robust and effective engagement campaign. Under your leadership as agency commissioners, we hope you will include these action steps in the final engagement campaign.  

Elements of an Effective Stakeholder Engagement Campaign: 

1. Clear goals, outcomes, and evaluations of the nitrate reduction programs already in place. 

The December 1st response to the EPA listed several nitrate reduction programs already in place throughout the state. Unfortunately, the response did not include additional information regarding the measured efficacy of those programs nor any details on the ultimate end-goals of each program. This is critical information for the public to know. If this information is currently unknown, prompt action needs to be taken to gather and report findings from these initiatives.  

2. Quarterly meetings between state agencies and petitioner organizations. 

Among our respective membership bases, the 11 petitioner organizations represent a broad swath of Driftless Area Minnesotans. Each group also provides diverse areas of expertise and an intimate working knowledge of the April petition and water quality problems in southeastern Minnesota more generally. We believe this knowledgebase would be invaluable to your planning process, making for a robust analysis of the issue and a thorough plan of action that would have the intended effects we all desire. We look forward to opportunities to collaborate and strengthen each other’s work.   

3. Three in-person meetings, led by state agencies, throughout southeastern Minnesota before April 2024 to inform the public about ongoing work and to gather feedback. 

State agencies need to be present and proactive in their engagement with the public. As the people and communities facing nitrate contamination every day, it is critical that the residents of southeastern Minnesota are central to developments moving forward. Community members should be able to meet in-person with state agencies to have their voices heard and to be notified of progress.  

4. State agencies meet with at least 20 farmers in southeastern Minnesota before February 2024 to gather ideas on how state agencies can create solutions, rather than burdens, for area farmers. 

Our region’s farmers are the solution to cleaning up our region’s drinking water. For generations, hundreds, if not thousands, of innovative southeastern Minnesota farmers have implemented a wide array of agricultural practices that keep our water clean and our soils intact. Unfortunately, large-scale economic and policy factors are increasingly making this kind of agriculture less able to remain economically viable. It is imperative that any proposed solutions do not reinforce harmful farming practices and systems in our region. Our public agencies must also support the kinds of innovative, regenerative farming practices that can offer long-term solutions to this problem. Southeastern Minnesota farmers must play a foundational role in this work. We propose that your agencies meet with farmers that represent a diverse background of farming operations present within the region. The Land Stewardship Project would be happy to arrange these meetings. At least 50% of farmers/farms engaged with should meet at least one of the following criteria:  

  • Feedlot under 250 AU. 
  • Acreage under 1,000 acres. 
  • Implementing systems involving perennial forage/permanent pasture/rotational grazing. 
  • Utilizing multiple known soil health practices such as no-till, cover cropping, diversified crop rotations (3 crops or more), etc.  

In the coming days, we plan to seek more input from our members in the Driftless Area. We will keep you updated on their responses. We look forward to collaborating with you and our state agencies to mitigate this critical issue. To contact us, please write to Martin Moore and Sean Carroll at, respectively, mmoore@landstewardshipproject.org and scarroll@landstewardshipproject.org. 

Best,  

Land Stewardship Project 

Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy 

Environmental Working Group 

Minnesota Well Owners Organization 

Center for Food Safety 

CURE 

Food & Water Watch 

Izaak Walton League – Minnesota Division 

Minnesota Trout Unlimited

cc:   

Debra Shore, Regional Administrator & Great Lakes National Program Manager shore.debra@epa.gov

Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, attn: Joe Birkholz joseph.birkholz@state.mn.us 

Paul Gardner, Clean Water Council Administrator
paul.gardner@state.mn.us  

 

During the Fillmore County Water Forum in November, rural residents listened to presentations on nitrate pollution in the karst region.

  

 

Category: Blog
Tags: karst region • MDA • MDH • MPCA • nitrate pollution • soil health • water quality • well water

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July 2025

Wednesday July 9

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
LSP Lewiston Office Summer Potluck Lunch
Wednesday July 9
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
LSP Lewiston Office Summer Potluck Lunch
Land Stewardship Project, 180 E Main St, Lewiston, MN 55952, USA

Spring planting is behind us and midsummer is upon us! Take a quick break from all the action by celebrating summer with the Land Stewardship Project by joining us for lunch at our Lewiston office.

Our Summer Potluck will be held on Wednesday, July 9, from noon to 2 p.m., at our office in downtown Lewiston, Minn. (180 E. Main Street). This will be an opportunity to build community, hear from other farmers, socialize, and enjoy a great meal together. We also invite everyone to take a self-guided tour of the newly renovated spaces in our office that we have been working on over the winter. As a member-driven organization, this is your space too.

LSP will be providing the main dish (meat and vegetarian options) and we invite you to bring a dish to pass. This event is open to all, so please bring a friend or two as well. Let’s celebrate the joy of summer through good food and good company!

RSVP’s are encouraged, but not required. Hope to see you there — you can RSVP by e-mailing LSP’s Alex Romano direct.

Saturday July 12

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek's Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Saturday July 12
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek's Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Farmers Community Park, 23274 Arches Road Lewiston, MN 55952

During the Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters event, the Land Stewardship Project will mark the three-year anniversary of a major fish kill in southeastern Minnesota that spawned citizen action and led to new public policy around how such events are reported. Join Land Stewardship Project and our partners at Farmers Park, Saturday July 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Lewiston, Minnesota. Register here.

What to expect?

  • Fly fishing demonstration led by Minnesota Trout Unlimted and LSP member, Lee Stoe. Please bring your own fishing gear.

  • Minnesota Trout Unlimited & Izaak Walton League staff and members will be leading macroinvertebrate sampling of Garvin Brook and discussing what they tell us about the health of the stream.

  • Discussion on how regenerative farming systems can support healthy soil and clean water.

  • Opportunity to take action! Help prevent future fish kills by sharing how you think the Minnesot Feedlot Rule, which is open for comment through July 22, should be stronger. Postcards will be available to fill out and send with your comments.

  • Farmers Park is a great spot for birding. Please bring your binoculars!

  • You are welcome to bring your own snacks or picnic lunch; food will not be provided at this event.

LSP is partnering with several community groups for this event, including:

Minnesota Trout Unlimited, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Izaak Walton League, Food & Water Watch, and Savanna Institute

Register HERE. For more information, contact LSP’s Kate Rowe at krowe@landstewardshipproject.org.

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5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
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1805 Dudley Ave, Falcon Heights, MN 55113, USA

Join U of M researchers and Extension for updates on organic fruit and vegetable research and tour the Student Organic Farm and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in Saint Paul. Topics include: organic insect management, integrating livestock into vegetable farms, new crops for Minnesota, irrigation strategies, and more. Free to the public.
 
For details and to register, click here.

Wednesday July 16

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Cottonwood County
Wednesday July 16
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Cottonwood County
27092 Co Rd 8, Comfrey, MN 56019, USA

Details here.

Thursday July 17

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Pipestone County
Thursday July 17
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Pipestone County
518 30th Ave, Jasper, MN 56182

Details are here.

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