Timesheets due early
Due to the Veterans Day holiday on November 11:
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Staff need to complete their timesheets by 10 a.m. on Monday, November 7.
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Supervisors should have timesheets approved, validated, and ready to load by 2 p.m. on Monday, November 7.
Note to supervisors: If you will be gone during a payroll week, please arrange for a manager to approve and load your unit’s timesheets.
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Apply to join the MPCA Legislative team!
Applications are now being accepted for a temporary Legislative Assistant position in the MPCA Commissioner’s office. In this position, you will help the MPCA Legislative team advance the agency’s goals at the Capitol during the 2023 Legislative session. This position is an excellent opportunity to learn the legislative process, to build your leadership skills, and to broaden your understanding of all MPCA program work. Learn more on the Lorax.
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Reminder: New Contract/Grant, Amendment and Requests for Proposals online service launched November 2
Beginning November 2, a new internal MPCA online service will be available for submitting Contract/Grant, Amendment and Request for Proposals (RFP) requests into Tempo for approval. This online service has been designed to be a user-friendly method of capturing information that will then be pushed into Tempo for processing. Read more on the Lorax.
MPCA staff reach out to the Payne-Phalen Community Council
 Last week, MPCA’s Joshua Markham and Jose Luis Villasenor presented to the Payne-Phalen Community Council in St. Paul concerning an upcoming industrial permit re-opening in their neighborhood. They were joined by MDH’s Stephanie Yendell. The presentation was at the request of the community, which is in an environmental justice area of concern. Josh and Jose Luis did a terrific job answering questions over a full hour. Next steps are already being planned with the community. This outreach is an example of proactive public engagement we hope to bring to more communities in the state. Thanks and congratulations to Josh and Jose Luis!
Deadline approaching to apply for Leadership Academy
The deadline to apply to the 2023 Leadership Academy is next Monday, November 7. You can find the application form on the Leadership Academy Lorax page. Please email your completed application to Kimberly Nuckles in the Organization Improvement Unit. Remember you must have supervisor approval before applying. Division Directors will notify applicants of their acceptance status in early December.
Please direct any questions to Kimberly Nuckles or Sadie Wunder.
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Combined Charities update
The 2022 Combined Charities On-Line Silent Auction and Cutest Pet Photo events have closed. The winner for the Cutest Pet contest is Wylie, owned by Candice Christensen! Congratulations to Wylie and Candice! Those who won their bid for any of the auction items will be notified of their win and arrange for delivery of the auction item.
The 2022 Combined Charities Campaign events have come to an end but the fund raising continues! We continue to need your support to help us reach our $30,000 goal for the 2022 campaign and donations can be made through November 30. Find out how to donate at the Combined Charities Campaign page on the Lorax.
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Job opening
Pig’s Eye Task Force Coordinator: This is a temporary unclassified position anticiapted to last approximately to December 2025. This position exists to coordinate intergovernmental efforts of the Pig’s Eye Task Force to remediate and restore the Pig’s Eye Dump and address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkylsubstances (PFAS) contamination of Battle Creek, Pig's Eye Lake, and nearby groundwater. Job ID: 60319. Location: St. Paul. Closing date: November 14.
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MPCA staff member encourages colleagues to pay it forward
John Michael Smith (Mick) from the Operations Division surprised the St. Paul office with a special lunch treat. He bought and shared 27 pizzas with staff on Wednesday.
He said, "The pizza isn't free. But all I ask is that you do one good deed for someone you don't know this week."
Thanks, Mick! Will do.
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Send us your photos!
 Here's another awesome photo we received for this year's Voyageur Awards and the Awards for Continuous Improvement and Innovation ceremony slide show.
Britt Gangeness and Paul Andre take a chilly April dip in the Mississippi River after installing the We Are Water MN exhibit in Winona.
Send your photo(s) and a description to the MPCA mail box.
 The MPCA has announced the purchase of new, state-of-the art technology to remove and destroy bulk concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water in the environment. This fall, the state will deploy the technology in the East Metro as part of the ongoing work to address PFAS contamination affecting the drinking water for roughly 174,000 residents. The system is paid for with funds from the 3M settlement.
Read more on MPCA's webpage.
Water Issues Seminar: Rethinking chloride thresholds to protect fresh waters
Thursday, November 10, 9-10 a.m.
Dr. Willian Hintz from the University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center will discuss the ecological impacts of road deicing salts and new evidence indicating that ecological impacts can occur at low salt concentrations — requiring us to re-think existing chloride thresholds and perhaps develop new ones.
Join Webex meeting.
Explore all that fat biking has to offer
Wednesday, November 9, 12-1 p.m.
The DNR will host a winter fat biking webinar with Gunnar Carlson from Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists. He will share some of the great opportunities to bike year-round in Minnesota. From trail etiquette to snow grooming, find out about the joy of winter fat biking and tips on getting started. Sign up for this webinar and others in the outdoor skills and stewardship series on the DNR website: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishwildlife/outreach/index.html
Leadership Forum: Leadership means leading change
Thursday, November 17, 2-3:30 p.m.
Everyone is a leader at some time or another. In order to respond to shifts in their organizations, teams and individual environments a strong leader must make sure people see the need for change, embrace change and manage change. Leadership is about helping people. We will look at what change looks like, explore a process for dealing with change effectively, and collectively develop a Change Management plan for a theoretical organizational situation. Anyone and everyone in the agency are welcome to attend. Brought to you by Leadership Forum.
Join the meeting
Recycling: Watch it happen live
Thursday, December 1, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Have you ever wanted to learn about what happens to your recyclables after they leave the curb? Sign up for a tour of Eureka Material Recovery Facility (2828 Kennedy St. NE, Minneapolis) to see recycling sorting live and in action! The Sustainability Team has organized an upcoming tour opportunity If interested, please email Sustainability Coordinator Carla Inderrieden by Friday, November 11. Tours are limited to groups of 14, so let her know right away to secure your spot. Also, let Carla know if you are interested in carpooling from the Saint Paul office.
Over 8,000 pounds of carp removed from Alexandria's Lake Winona, again
According to Scott Gilbertson, executive director for Alexandria Lake Area Sanitary District, removal of the carp is necessary because they cause "water quality problems through their feeding and nesting behaviors, which disturb sediments causing the release of phosphorus from the sediments and increased turbidity." — Echo Press
Portion of Cross City Trail remains closed as cleanup continues
It will be at least another eight months until a portion of Duluth’s Cross City Trail is back open. This area is part of the St. Louis Area of Concern and contains contaminated sediment in the ponds and Shoppers Creek. The U.S. EPA and MPCA, in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have been conducting a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative sediment remediation project to clean-up the area. — Fox21Online.com
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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency brings cutting-edge technology to Minnesota to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS from water. https://bit.ly/3TUP9r1
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