A long-awaited smart salting bill appears to be moving forward with bipartisan support in the Minnesota Legislature.

On Feb. 16, MWMO staff testified in support of HF2908/SF2768 alongside a group of environmental advocates at a Minnesota Senate committee hearing. The bill would remove barriers and create incentives for commercial snow removal contractors to become certified in state-approved smart salting practices.

The bill would create a voluntary smart salting certification program for commercial salt applicators and offer liability protections for those who become certified, as well as for property owners and managers who hire them.

The bill has now cleared its first committee hurdles in both the House and Senate, and supporters are optimistic about its chances of becoming law this year.

Alex Johanson

In January, the MWMO welcomed Alex Johanson as our new water quality monitoring intern. Alex is a senior at Macalaster College, where he is pursuing a B.A. in Geology and Geography. He previously worked for the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and as an undergraduate researcher at Macalester.

Alex loves spending time outdoors, cycling, playing basketball, and spending time with friends. He plans to pursue a graduate degree in geoscience in the near future, and hopes that his experience at the MWMO will be the first step toward a future career path in water resources.

Lucas Clapp

MWMO Water Quality Monitoring Intern Lucas Clapp, who joined the MWMO in December of 2020, will be leaving next week to start his new job as a water resources engineer-in-training at Stantec.

Lucas recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. He said his time at the MWMO allowed him to see how some of the theories he learned in school are applied in practice.

Do you know a teenager from North or Northeast Minneapolis who’s looking for a summer job?

The Mississippi River Green Team is a two-year, year-round employment and conservation program for teenagers between the ages of 14-16 from North and Northeast Minneapolis. It’s an opportunity for youth to have a mentored job experience, learn about environmental careers, and acquire new skills.

We are looking for candidates to be on the 2022 team. If you know someone who might be a good fit, send them to mwmo.org/greenteam, where they can find out more and apply to be on the team. Applications are due by Friday, February 25.