The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced last week that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has partially approved and partially disapproved the Minnesota’s 2020 Clean Water Act 303(d) Impaired Waters List:

On March 26, 2021, EPA partially approved and partially disapproved Minnesota’s 2020 Clean Water Act (CWA) 303(d) list of impaired waters that require establishment of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) to attain water quality standards. EPA approved the list of waters [in wq-iw1-65] identified by Minnesota as consistent with Section 303(d) of the CWA and EPA’s implementing regulations. EPA disapproved Minnesota’s decision not to list any waters as impaired due to exceedances of the State’s sulfate criterion to protect wild rice because existing and readily available data and information indicate impairments of that criterion. Within 30 days of this action, EPA will identify waters to be added to Minnesota’s list due to exceedances of the state’s sulfate criterion, and will then open a 30-day public comment period on the addition of wild rice waters to Minnesota’s CWA Section 303(d) List. After considering public comments received and potentially making revisions to the waters identified in its disapproval, EPA will send the list of waters to Minnesota for use in developing TMDLs.

For more information, please visit the MPCA’s Impaired Waters List webpage.