The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a letter to the Government of Minnesota requiring the state to address dangerous levels of nitrate contamination in its drinking water.
In April 2023, EPA received a Safe Drinking Water Act Section 1431 emergency petition regarding the Southeast Karst Region of Minnesota, which comprises roughly eight counties (Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha, and Winona counties). In the petition, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and several other stakeholder groups claimed that nitrate contamination in the region’s public water systems and underground sources of drinking water is causing an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health. EPA reviewed the petition immediately and collected information from Minnesota agencies regarding actions they have taken to investigate and address the nitrate issue.