Excess salt in lakes, rivers, and streams threatens our environment. A new report from the Met Council documents the increase in chloride concentration levels in many streams in the region. De-icing salt is one of the main culprits. Read more about this growing problem and how it can be prevented.

Reducing service is never easy, especially when ridership is growing and we know how helpful it would be to put more buses and trains into the community. But to protect the reliability of our service amid a continued operator shortage, we reduced frequency on nine bus routes and our light rail lines effective August 20. From Metro Transit's General Manager: Service changes reflect our commitment to reliability.

Whether people want exercise, seek solitude, or gather for fun with friends and family, they are visiting metro area regional parks and trails more than ever. In 2021, people made an estimated 64.9 million visits to the Twin Cities area’s renowned system of regional parks and trails. That’s a 2.6% increase over 2019, the last time visits were estimated.

The Met Council posts weekly updates on Friday mornings on the amount of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater entering the Metro Plant in Saint Paul. For the week ending August 15, the total viral RNA load has dropped by 18% since June 21. However, according to our research scientist, the virus remains at a “moderately high” level in the plant’s service area, which includes 66 metro communities. View the wastewater surveillance data.

The Transportation Accessibility Advisory Committee is celebrating 30 years of providing perspective to the Met Council from people who are elderly or have a disability. In honor of reaching this landmark, the committee would like transit customers to nominate a driver, operator, or other transit worker who has gone above and beyond in serving members of the disability community. To nominate a driver, operator, or other transit worker please fill out this online form or email public.info@metc.state.mn.us.

The Met Council has approved a Priority Waters List to help sustainably manage Twin Cities metro area waterbodies. Rivers, streams, and lakes included on the list provide significant use and benefit to the region in several ways. The list guides how the Met Council allocates limited resources to monitor, assess, plan for, and improve water quality in these waterbodies. Learn more about the list and its uses.