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St. Paul, Minn.--Five years ago this week, Minnesota voters passed a constitutional
amendment that increased the state’s sales tax by three-eighths of one percent
to fund projects related to clean water, natural resources, and arts and
culture.
According to a 2008 poll by Minnesota Environmental
Partnership, clean water was the leading issue that motivated voters to support
the amendment: 42% of those who voted
for the amendment indicated that cleaning up and protecting Minnesota’s lakes,
rivers, and streams was the primary reason for their vote.
Accordingly, one-third of the funds generated through this
amendment are dedicated to clean water in Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, streams,
and groundwater. This stable source of funding, set in the state’s constitution
for twenty-five years, has enabled policymakers to tackle ambitious projects
that are expected to profoundly improve water quality in the state.
“Knowing that that these funds will be available for the
next 20 years has changed so much about our ability to restore and protect
water,” says Commissioner John Linc Stine of the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency. “Minnesota’s water pollution problems developed over the course of many
decades. We want to solve them the right way—sustainably—and the Legacy Amendment
is making that possible. We’ve set an ambitious course, and thanks to this
steady source of funding, we know that those goals are reachable.”
So far, more than 300 individual amendment-funded
projects have been sponsored by the MPCA across the state. Though many of
these efforts are still underway, the amendment is beginning to bear fruit in
the form of major initiatives that will position Minnesota as a leader in water
resources protection.
The watershed approach: a
turbo-charged effort to improve water quality
For decades, water management
professionals have been making steady progress on assessing water quality in
the state’s 12,000 lakes and 105,000 miles of streams. Monitoring and
assessment work establishes baseline data for the health of lakes and streams,
and sets the stage for targeted
improvements in those that are found to be unhealthy. Over the past five years,
the MPCA has moved from assessing a smaller number of individual lakes and streams
across the state to evaluating each of the state’s 81 watersheds on a rotating,
10-year cycle.
“Prior to 2008, our process was broad but not deep.
We did water quality assessments in the best way we could with the
resources available at the time,”
said MPCA division director Gaylen Reetz. “The Legacy Amendment makes it
possible to do much more detailed monitoring on many more lakes, streams, and
wetlands. Once we have completed one 10-year monitoring cycle in 2018,
we’ll be able to go back and revisit those watersheds to see how everyone’s hard work on protecting and
restoring our waters has paid off—and that will truly be exciting to see.”
The St. Louis River Area of
Concern: leveraging funds to dial back 130 years of degradation
The St. Louis River estuary, just
off the southwest tip of Lake Superior in Duluth, has suffered from over 130
years of accumulated environmental degradation. In the years prior to
environmental regulation, human and industrial waste, dredging of aquatic habitat,
and harmful logging and milling practices crippled the health of the estuary. Beginning
in 2010, the MPCA spearheaded what will be one of the largest restoration
and cleanup efforts in Great Lakes history, with the support of numerous
partners. The St. Louis River is the headwaters of Lake Superior and the Great
Lakes, so its cleanup and restoration promises a host of economic and
environmental benefits that will reverberate throughout the region.
“The Legacy Amendment came along at
the right time for us,” said MPCA
supervisor Nelson French. “We have charted out a timeline that is
ambitious, but achievable, and we’ve been able to use Legacy Amendment dollars
to leverage over $20 million in outside funding, which is vital to our success.
With this continued support, we expect to remove all 9 of the impairments to
this area, and to be able to delist the St. Louis River area of concern from
the Great Lakes Area of Concern list by 2025.”
Demonstrating success of
regulatory efforts: water monitoring on the Minnesota River
In summer 2012, extremely dry weather created a rare
opportunity to evaluate
water quality on the Minnesota River under drought stress and to learn whether
stringent wastewater treatment regulations enacted over the past several years
had improved the river’s health as expected. The necessary testing conditions,
however, existed for only a short period of time.
“Funding from the Legacy Amendment allowed us to act
quickly to take advantage of this rare testing opportunity,“ said Glenn
Skuta. “We mobilized a team to conduct three weeks of intensive
monitoring during the height of the drought. The data they collected provided
clear evidence that the high bar we set for wastewater plants has measurably improved
the health of the Minnesota River. Clean water funding made this rapid response
possible.”
The amendment's unfolding future
In coming years, MPCA leaders say that Minnesotans will
continue to reap the dividends of their investment in clean water.
“It is only fitting that Minnesota, a state with
such abundant water resources located at the top of our continent’s watersheds,
should lead the way in protecting and restoring those resources,” said
Stine. “This amendment was a bold
statement by Minnesota voters about the priorities they have for our state over
the coming decades. We intend to follow through on our commitment to carry out
the vision that voters set forth.”
Broadcast version:
Five years ago this week, Minnesota voters passed a constitutional
amendment that increased the state’s sales tax
to fund work on clean water, natural resources, and arts and
culture.
One-third of the funds from this
amendment go to protecting and enhancing Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, streams,
and groundwater. According to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner John Linc Stine, this stable source of funding has enabled policymakers to tackle ambitious projects
that are expected to profoundly improve water quality in the state.
So far, more than 300 individual amendment-funded
projects have been sponsored by the MPCA across the state. More information about the impact of the Legacy amendment on clean water work is available at the MPCA's website.
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The mission of the MPCA is to protect and improve the environment and enhance human health.
St. Paul • Brainerd • Detroit Lakes • Duluth • Mankato • Marshall • Rochester • Willmar
www.pca.state.mn.us • Toll-free and TDD 800-657-3864
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