2026 Impaired Waters List

Comment From: Sam Duerksen

7/20/26 @ 6:00 PM

Summit lake in Jackson county near Windom, MN needs to be at least added to the impaired list but should be on the list to be tested. This lake has been turned into a green cesspool from ice out to December. I contacted the MPCA in Marshall to have...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Dustin Norman

7/20/26 @ 2:18 PM

I am requesting that Locke Lake in Fridley, Anoka County, Minnesota (located approximately 0.25 miles upstream from Manomin Park where Rice Creek enters) be listed as impaired under Class 2 stream standards (Minnesota Rules 7050.0222: https://www.rev...↓

Attachments:

Comment From: Leanna Goose

7/20/26 @ 12:20 AM

I urge the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to fully recognize and protect treaty-reserved rights throughout this process. Under Article VI of the United States Constitution, treaties are the supreme law of the land. These treaty-reserved ri...↓ghts remain in full force and cannot be meaningfully exercised without healthy ecosystems, clean water, abundant fish, wild rice, and the continued protection of the natural resources that sustain the cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic well-being of the Anishinaabeg.
Fish consumption advisories and water quality standards must reflect this legal and moral responsibility. All waters impaired by mercury contamination should have clear public advisories posted at public access points. People should not be expected to search online databases before fishing. Public notification is an essential public health measure.
Any fish consumption guidance developed within treaty territories must also recognize that Anishinaabeg often consume significantly more fish than the average Minnesotan because fish are a traditional and treaty-protected food source. Risk assessments based solely on average statewide consumption fail to account for the exercise of treaty-reserved rights and therefore do not adequately protect Tribal communities.
The MPCA has indicated that it is considering Minnesota Department of Health guidance regarding allowable levels of PFOS in fish. I urge the agency to reject the premise that PFOS contamination in fish should be considered acceptable. PFAS contamination is widespread throughout Minnesota and within reservations, PFAS persists indefinitely in the environment, bioaccumulates in fish, and poses serious risks to human health. The goal should be preventing contamination, not determining how much contamination people should be expected to tolerate in a traditional food source.
The MPCA must also fulfill its longstanding obligation to implement and enforce Minnesota's wild rice sulfate standard. This standard has existed since 1973 to protect waters capable of supporting wild rice and to reduce conditions that promote the conversion of mercury into methylmercury in aquatic ecosystems. Decades of delayed enforcement have placed both wild rice and fish at unnecessary risk. Strong enforcement of the sulfate standard is essential not only for protecting manoomin but also for reducing mercury contamination in fish and protecting public health.
These protections are especially important given the risks posed by copper-nickel sulfide mining. Ensuring the sulfate standard is upheld now protects wild rice from the dangers of copper-nickel sulfide mining in the future! Extensive scientific research has documented that sulfate pollution threatens wild rice and contributes to conditions that increase methylmercury production. Sulfide mining also presents unique risks because sulfide-bearing ores can generate acid mine drainage and mobilize toxic metals for generations after mining has ended. Unlike temporary economic benefits, contamination of waters, wetlands, groundwater, fisheries, and wild rice can persist for centuries, permanently impairing treaty-protected resources and the exercise of treaty-reserved rights.
The waters within Minnesota's treaty territories are not sacrifice zones. They are the homelands of the Anishinaabeg and provide clean drinking water, healthy fisheries, wild rice, medicinal plants, wildlife, and countless ecological and economic benefits that sustain present and future generations. Climate change is already placing unprecedented stress on these resources, making it even more important that state agencies uphold existing environmental protections rather than weaken or delay them.
The MPCA has both a legal obligation and a public trust responsibility to protect Minnesota's waters. Company profits and short-term economic gains cannot outweigh treaty-reserved rights, which are protected under the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Protecting clean water, enforcing the sulfate standard, reducing mercury contamination, preventing PFAS pollution, and respecting Tribal sovereignty benefit all Minnesotans.
I respectfully urge the MPCA to ensure that its decisions fully protect treaty-reserved rights, strengthen protections for fish and water quality, enforce Minnesota's sulfate standard, and reject policies that normalize the contamination of traditional foods. Protecting Minnesota's waters protects the health of all Minnesotans while honoring the treaties and ensuring that future generations inherit healthy lakes, rivers, wild rice waters, and fisheries.

No attachments

Comment From: Leanna Goose

7/20/26 @ 12:18 AM

I urge the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to fully recognize and protect treaty-reserved rights throughout this process. Under Article VI of the United States Constitution, treaties are the supreme law of the land. These treaty-reserved ri...↓ghts remain in full force and cannot be meaningfully exercised without healthy ecosystems, clean water, abundant fish, wild rice, and the continued protection of the natural resources that sustain the cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic well-being of the Anishinaabeg.
Fish consumption advisories and water quality standards must reflect this legal and moral responsibility. All waters impaired by mercury contamination should have clear public advisories posted at public access points. People should not be expected to search online databases before fishing. Public notification is an essential public health measure.
Any fish consumption guidance developed within treaty territories must also recognize that Anishinaabeg often consume significantly more fish than the average Minnesotan because fish are a traditional and treaty-protected food source. Risk assessments based solely on average statewide consumption fail to account for the exercise of treaty-reserved rights and therefore do not adequately protect Tribal communities.
The MPCA has indicated that it is considering Minnesota Department of Health guidance regarding allowable levels of PFOS in fish. I urge the agency to reject the premise that PFOS contamination in fish should be considered acceptable. PFAS contamination is widespread throughout Minnesota and within reservations, PFAS persists indefinitely in the environment, bioaccumulates in fish, and poses serious risks to human health. The goal should be preventing contamination, not determining how much contamination people should be expected to tolerate in a traditional food source.
The MPCA must also fulfill its longstanding obligation to implement and enforce Minnesota's wild rice sulfate standard. This standard has existed since 1973 to protect waters capable of supporting wild rice and to reduce conditions that promote the conversion of mercury into methylmercury in aquatic ecosystems. Decades of delayed enforcement have placed both wild rice and fish at unnecessary risk. Strong enforcement of the sulfate standard is essential not only for protecting manoomin but also for reducing mercury contamination in fish and protecting public health.
These protections are especially important given the risks posed by copper-nickel sulfide mining. Ensuring the sulfate standard is upheld now protects wild rice from the dangers of copper-nickel sulfide mining in the future! Extensive scientific research has documented that sulfate pollution threatens wild rice and contributes to conditions that increase methylmercury production. Sulfide mining also presents unique risks because sulfide-bearing ores can generate acid mine drainage and mobilize toxic metals for generations after mining has ended. Unlike temporary economic benefits, contamination of waters, wetlands, groundwater, fisheries, and wild rice can persist for centuries, permanently impairing treaty-protected resources and the exercise of treaty-reserved rights.
The waters within Minnesota's treaty territories are not sacrifice zones. They are the homelands of the Anishinaabeg and provide clean drinking water, healthy fisheries, wild rice, medicinal plants, wildlife, and countless ecological and economic benefits that sustain present and future generations. Climate change is already placing unprecedented stress on these resources, making it even more important that state agencies uphold existing environmental protections rather than weaken or delay them.
The MPCA has both a legal obligation and a public trust responsibility to protect Minnesota's waters. Company profits and short-term economic gains cannot outweigh treaty-reserved rights, which are protected under the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Protecting clean water, enforcing the sulfate standard, reducing mercury contamination, preventing PFAS pollution, and respecting Tribal sovereignty benefit all Minnesotans.
I respectfully urge the MPCA to ensure that its decisions fully protect treaty-reserved rights, strengthen protections for fish and water quality, enforce Minnesota's sulfate standard, and reject policies that normalize the contamination of traditional foods. Protecting Minnesota's waters protects the health of all Minnesotans while honoring the treaties and ensuring that future generations inherit healthy lakes, rivers, wild rice waters, and fisheries.

No attachments

Comment From: Leanna Goose

7/20/26 @ 12:18 AM

I urge the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to fully recognize and protect treaty-reserved rights throughout this process. Under Article VI of the United States Constitution, treaties are the supreme law of the land. These treaty-reserved ri...↓ghts remain in full force and cannot be meaningfully exercised without healthy ecosystems, clean water, abundant fish, wild rice, and the continued protection of the natural resources that sustain the cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic well-being of the Anishinaabeg.
Fish consumption advisories and water quality standards must reflect this legal and moral responsibility. All waters impaired by mercury contamination should have clear public advisories posted at public access points. People should not be expected to search online databases before fishing. Public notification is an essential public health measure.
Any fish consumption guidance developed within treaty territories must also recognize that Anishinaabeg often consume significantly more fish than the average Minnesotan because fish are a traditional and treaty-protected food source. Risk assessments based solely on average statewide consumption fail to account for the exercise of treaty-reserved rights and therefore do not adequately protect Tribal communities.
The MPCA has indicated that it is considering Minnesota Department of Health guidance regarding allowable levels of PFOS in fish. I urge the agency to reject the premise that PFOS contamination in fish should be considered acceptable. PFAS contamination is widespread throughout Minnesota and within reservations, PFAS persists indefinitely in the environment, bioaccumulates in fish, and poses serious risks to human health. The goal should be preventing contamination, not determining how much contamination people should be expected to tolerate in a traditional food source.
The MPCA must also fulfill its longstanding obligation to implement and enforce Minnesota's wild rice sulfate standard. This standard has existed since 1973 to protect waters capable of supporting wild rice and to reduce conditions that promote the conversion of mercury into methylmercury in aquatic ecosystems. Decades of delayed enforcement have placed both wild rice and fish at unnecessary risk. Strong enforcement of the sulfate standard is essential not only for protecting manoomin but also for reducing mercury contamination in fish and protecting public health.
These protections are especially important given the risks posed by copper-nickel sulfide mining. Ensuring the sulfate standard is upheld now protects wild rice from the dangers of copper-nickel sulfide mining in the future! Extensive scientific research has documented that sulfate pollution threatens wild rice and contributes to conditions that increase methylmercury production. Sulfide mining also presents unique risks because sulfide-bearing ores can generate acid mine drainage and mobilize toxic metals for generations after mining has ended. Unlike temporary economic benefits, contamination of waters, wetlands, groundwater, fisheries, and wild rice can persist for centuries, permanently impairing treaty-protected resources and the exercise of treaty-reserved rights.
The waters within Minnesota's treaty territories are not sacrifice zones. They are the homelands of the Anishinaabeg and provide clean drinking water, healthy fisheries, wild rice, medicinal plants, wildlife, and countless ecological and economic benefits that sustain present and future generations. Climate change is already placing unprecedented stress on these resources, making it even more important that state agencies uphold existing environmental protections rather than weaken or delay them.
The MPCA has both a legal obligation and a public trust responsibility to protect Minnesota's waters. Company profits and short-term economic gains cannot outweigh treaty-reserved rights, which are protected under the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Protecting clean water, enforcing the sulfate standard, reducing mercury contamination, preventing PFAS pollution, and respecting Tribal sovereignty benefit all Minnesotans.
I respectfully urge the MPCA to ensure that its decisions fully protect treaty-reserved rights, strengthen protections for fish and water quality, enforce Minnesota's sulfate standard, and reject policies that normalize the contamination of traditional foods. Protecting Minnesota's waters protects the health of all Minnesotans while honoring the treaties and ensuring that future generations inherit healthy lakes, rivers, wild rice waters, and fisheries.

No attachments

Comment From: Leanna Goose

7/20/26 @ 12:17 AM

I urge the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to fully recognize and protect treaty-reserved rights throughout this process. Under Article VI of the United States Constitution, treaties are the supreme law of the land. These treaty-reserved ri...↓ghts remain in full force and cannot be meaningfully exercised without healthy ecosystems, clean water, abundant fish, wild rice, and the continued protection of the natural resources that sustain the cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic well-being of the Anishinaabeg.
Fish consumption advisories and water quality standards must reflect this legal and moral responsibility. All waters impaired by mercury contamination should have clear public advisories posted at public access points. People should not be expected to search online databases before fishing. Public notification is an essential public health measure.
Any fish consumption guidance developed within treaty territories must also recognize that Anishinaabeg often consume significantly more fish than the average Minnesotan because fish are a traditional and treaty-protected food source. Risk assessments based solely on average statewide consumption fail to account for the exercise of treaty-reserved rights and therefore do not adequately protect Tribal communities.
The MPCA has indicated that it is considering Minnesota Department of Health guidance regarding allowable levels of PFOS in fish. I urge the agency to reject the premise that PFOS contamination in fish should be considered acceptable. PFAS contamination is widespread throughout Minnesota and within reservations, PFAS persists indefinitely in the environment, bioaccumulates in fish, and poses serious risks to human health. The goal should be preventing contamination, not determining how much contamination people should be expected to tolerate in a traditional food source.
The MPCA must also fulfill its longstanding obligation to implement and enforce Minnesota's wild rice sulfate standard. This standard has existed since 1973 to protect waters capable of supporting wild rice and to reduce conditions that promote the conversion of mercury into methylmercury in aquatic ecosystems. Decades of delayed enforcement have placed both wild rice and fish at unnecessary risk. Strong enforcement of the sulfate standard is essential not only for protecting manoomin but also for reducing mercury contamination in fish and protecting public health.
These protections are especially important given the risks posed by copper-nickel sulfide mining. Ensuring the sulfate standard is upheld now protects wild rice from the dangers of copper-nickel sulfide mining in the future! Extensive scientific research has documented that sulfate pollution threatens wild rice and contributes to conditions that increase methylmercury production. Sulfide mining also presents unique risks because sulfide-bearing ores can generate acid mine drainage and mobilize toxic metals for generations after mining has ended. Unlike temporary economic benefits, contamination of waters, wetlands, groundwater, fisheries, and wild rice can persist for centuries, permanently impairing treaty-protected resources and the exercise of treaty-reserved rights.
The waters within Minnesota's treaty territories are not sacrifice zones. They are the homelands of the Anishinaabeg and provide clean drinking water, healthy fisheries, wild rice, medicinal plants, wildlife, and countless ecological and economic benefits that sustain present and future generations. Climate change is already placing unprecedented stress on these resources, making it even more important that state agencies uphold existing environmental protections rather than weaken or delay them.
The MPCA has both a legal obligation and a public trust responsibility to protect Minnesota's waters. Company profits and short-term economic gains cannot outweigh treaty-reserved rights, which are protected under the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Protecting clean water, enforcing the sulfate standard, reducing mercury contamination, preventing PFAS pollution, and respecting Tribal sovereignty benefit all Minnesotans.
I respectfully urge the MPCA to ensure that its decisions fully protect treaty-reserved rights, strengthen protections for fish and water quality, enforce Minnesota's sulfate standard, and reject policies that normalize the contamination of traditional foods. Protecting Minnesota's waters protects the health of all Minnesotans while honoring the treaties and ensuring that future generations inherit healthy lakes, rivers, wild rice waters, and fisheries.

No attachments

Comment From: Leanna Goose

7/20/26 @ 12:06 AM

I urge the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to fully recognize and protect treaty-reserved rights throughout this process. Under Article VI of the United States Constitution, treaties are the supreme law of the land. These treaty-reserved ri...↓ghts remain in full force and cannot be meaningfully exercised without healthy ecosystems, clean water, abundant fish, wild rice, and the continued protection of the natural resources that sustain the cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic well-being of the Anishinaabeg.
Fish consumption advisories and water quality standards must reflect this legal and moral responsibility. All waters impaired by mercury contamination should have clear public advisories posted at public access points. People should not be expected to search online databases before fishing. Public notification is an essential public health measure.
Any fish consumption guidance developed within treaty territories must also recognize that Anishinaabeg often consume significantly more fish than the average Minnesotan because fish are a traditional and treaty-protected food source. Risk assessments based solely on average statewide consumption fail to account for the exercise of treaty-reserved rights and therefore do not adequately protect Tribal communities.
The MPCA has indicated that it is considering Minnesota Department of Health guidance regarding allowable levels of PFOS in fish. I urge the agency to reject the premise that PFOS contamination in fish should be considered acceptable. PFAS contamination is widespread throughout Minnesota and within reservations, PFAS persists indefinitely in the environment, bioaccumulates in fish, and poses serious risks to human health. The goal should be preventing contamination, not determining how much contamination people should be expected to tolerate in a traditional food source.
The MPCA must also fulfill its longstanding obligation to implement and enforce Minnesota's wild rice sulfate standard. This standard has existed since 1973 to protect waters capable of supporting wild rice and to reduce conditions that promote the conversion of mercury into methylmercury in aquatic ecosystems. Decades of delayed enforcement have placed both wild rice and fish at unnecessary risk. Strong enforcement of the sulfate standard is essential not only for protecting manoomin but also for reducing mercury contamination in fish and protecting public health.
These protections are especially important given the risks posed by copper-nickel sulfide mining. Ensuring the sulfate standard is upheld now protects wild rice from the dangers of copper-nickel sulfide mining in the future! Extensive scientific research has documented that sulfate pollution threatens wild rice and contributes to conditions that increase methylmercury production. Sulfide mining also presents unique risks because sulfide-bearing ores can generate acid mine drainage and mobilize toxic metals for generations after mining has ended. Unlike temporary economic benefits, contamination of waters, wetlands, groundwater, fisheries, and wild rice can persist for centuries, permanently impairing treaty-protected resources and the exercise of treaty-reserved rights.
The waters within Minnesota's treaty territories are not sacrifice zones. They are the homelands of the Anishinaabeg and provide clean drinking water, healthy fisheries, wild rice, medicinal plants, wildlife, and countless ecological and economic benefits that sustain present and future generations. Climate change is already placing unprecedented stress on these resources, making it even more important that state agencies uphold existing environmental protections rather than weaken or delay them.
The MPCA has both a legal obligation and a public trust responsibility to protect Minnesota's waters. Company profits and short-term economic gains cannot outweigh treaty-reserved rights, which are protected under the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Protecting clean water, enforcing the sulfate standard, reducing mercury contamination, preventing PFAS pollution, and respecting Tribal sovereignty are inseparable responsibilities.
I respectfully urge the MPCA to ensure that its decisions fully protect treaty-reserved rights, strengthen protections for fish and water quality, enforce Minnesota's sulfate standard, and reject policies that normalize the contamination of traditional foods. Protecting Minnesota's waters protects the health of all Minnesotans while honoring the treaties and ensuring that future generations inherit healthy lakes, rivers, wild rice waters, and fisheries.

Attachments:

Comment From: Zack Witzel

7/15/26 @ 3:22 PM

While reviewing the IWM2023 assessment results an issue was identified with with Stahl's Lake (43010400). The lake is currently listed as Inconclusive Vulnerable in the Assessment Viewer. An error was made while scoring this lake and the wrong model ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Rachel Workin

7/14/26 @ 10:00 AM

The City of Fridley requests that the impairment designation for Rice Creek (07010206-584) be continued through Locke Lake to Rice Creek's confluence with the Mississippi River. Locke Lake is an impoundment of Rice Creek, so the same standards and im...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Catherine-1-I support the MPCA p Fleming

7/14/26 @ 9:33 AM

"I support the MPCA prioritizing real, measurable pollution reductions so all Minnesotans can safely swim, fish, and drink clean water"
As the effects of climate change become more and more profound, it is doubly important for us to maintain clean wa...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Grace Butler

7/14/26 @ 9:28 AM

I support the MPCA and their purpose and budgeting for establishing standards to keep MN waters safe for recreation and wildlife. The MPCA has done exceptional work in PFAS and chlorine testing, standards and reduction plans.

No attachments

Comment From: George Schneider

7/12/26 @ 6:32 PM

I noticed that on the 2026 draft list, Rice Main Lake (Hennepin County - 27-0116-01) is listed on the 2026 Inventory Impaired Waters tab, but not on the 2026 TMDL list. It was listed as Impaired in 2010; shouldn't it be on the 2026 TMDL List?

No attachments

Comment From: Scott Schroeder

7/10/26 @ 2:36 PM

Kittleson Lake (AUID 60-0327-00) in the Red River of the North - Sandhill River Watershed is indicated as a 2026 delisting for its 2014 nutrients impairment due to restoration activities. However, the MPCA ACT review team determined in May 2024 that ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Megan O'Hara

7/06/26 @ 1:18 PM

One of MPCA's most important tasks in protecting our precious lakes and rivers is compiling and funding the Impaired Waters list. At a time when our lakes and rivers are under unprecedented pressures from warming climate, invasive species and impacts...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Laura Scholl

7/06/26 @ 8:29 AM

I am very supportive of the MPCA prioritizing real, measurable pollution reductions so all Minnesotans can safely swim, fish, and drink clean water. We must hold each other accountable, using data to back our decision making and support for our local...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Francine Tryon

7/05/26 @ 3:40 PM

I am concerned about the drinking water in Hoyt Lakes they have said it is safe but it smells bad and taste bad. All of my clothes and my friends clothes have because dinghy from the water. They keep adding chemicals to correct it to make it safe so...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Dean Borgeson

7/02/26 @ 1:58 PM

I support the MPCA prioritizing real, measurable pollution reductions so all Minnesotans can safely swim, fish, and drink clean water!

No attachments

Comment From: Janette Dean

7/02/26 @ 1:52 PM

I support the MPCA prioritizing real, measurable pollution reductions that will allow Minnesotans, fellow Americans and tourists from any country to SAFELY swim, fish and drink clean water in Minnesota. We owe everyone that much as we ask them to liv...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Amy Timm

6/30/26 @ 11:45 AM

A note about South Whaletail (27-0184-02). The first Alum treatment was in 2023, and another one is planned for 2026. It is meeting standards, but there is not enough data to list the lake as fully meeting and de-listed from the impaired waters list....↓

No attachments

Comment From: Ryann Geldner

6/22/26 @ 7:59 PM

Comment on 2026 Impaired Waters List and Assessment Manual – Need for Biological Monitoring, Nature‑Based Solutions, and Chemical Transparency

Hello,

I am submitting comments on the 2026 draft Impaired Waters List and Assessment Manual.

Minnesota'...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Karen Kill

5/28/26 @ 5:15 PM

I am the administrator of Brown's Creek Watershed District. We have been monitoring the water quality of Long Lake in Stillwater 82-0021-00 and would like to have the lake considered for delisting for excess nutrients. Over the past twenty years, B...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Lynn Anderson

5/28/26 @ 7:55 AM

The Prairie River should be added to the list of impaired waters as is a prime wild rice waters. Sandy Lake Band of the Mississippi Chippewa and Mille Lacs regularly harvest wild rice from the Prairie River. Wild rice seed has also been harvested fro...↓

No attachments

Comment From: David Zierott

5/20/26 @ 8:52 AM

What is the primary source of the mercury contamination in these water systems?

No attachments

Comment From: Sara Harrison

5/19/26 @ 11:47 AM

Hello,
I would like to know what actions the MPCA is finally going to take this year and in the years ahead to prioritize and implement remeidation plans to aggressively remove and prevent toxic green algae and other dangerous pollutants from endang...↓

No attachments

Thank you for subscribing to the 2026 Impaired Waters List mailing list.