HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 7-06-2010 MPCA Fact Sheet AM GW Enhancing Ambient Groundwater
Quality Monitoring in Minnesota
Minnesota For the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment
Pollution
Control Water Quality/Ambient Monitoring #1.05 • December 2009
Agency
C; round water provides drinking water to A network of shallow wells is monitored by the
approximately 75 percent of MPCA as an early warning network in the
Minnesotans and contributes water to surficial sand and gravel aquifers. Shallow
streams,rivers,lakes,and wetlands. groundwater typically is not used as a source of
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency drinking water,but any changes in groundwater
For More Information (MPCA)monitors the quality of our groundwater quality will first be detected in these wells. The
and protects it from contamination in early warning network detects whether human
For additional information cooperation with other state and local agencies. activities may be affecting groundwater quality
about the MPCA's and provides an opportunity to identify and
ambient groundwater What Is Ambient Monitoring? address problems before it reaches the deeper
quality monitoring drinking water supplies.
network, contact the Ambient monitoring is one important
component of the MPCA's groundwater
MPCA's Ambient Enhancing the Monitoring
Groundwater Monitoring protection efforts. Data collected from ambient
Coordinator r the monitoring activities provide information about Network
Environmental Analysis the general quality of Minnesota's groundwater The MPCA is enhancing its monitoring
Outcomes Division at and helps identify whether it is getting better, network to improve the assessment of
and
and Outcomes
or worse, or not changing. Ambient monitoring groundwater quality conditions and trends
800-296-3864. involves the sampling of groundwater across across the state. The agency will be installing
large geographic settings and provides a large- additional monitoring wells,focusing on typical
scale or"big picture"view of groundwater urban land use settings.The MPCA is
quality conditions across the state. contacting landowners about placing
monitoring wells on their property.All costs
How Is This Information Used? associated with installing and sampling the
Data collected from MPCA ground water wells are borne by the MPCA. Each sampling
investigations is valuable to drinking water location initially will be visited about 2-3 times
protection efforts and other water management to install the well and prepare it for sampling.
activities. These data inform the state's The newly-constructed wells will be sampled
drinking water supply protection efforts, by the MPCA once each year for non-
identifies threats to groundwater quality,and agricultural chemicals.
guides the development of best management
practices to avoid future groundwater impacts. Clean Water Land and Legacy
Collected data are available on-line through the Amendment
MPCA's Environmental Data Access system. Enhancements to the MPCA's ambient
groundwater quality monitoring network are
MPCA's Ambient Groundwater funded through the Clean Water, Wildlife,
Monitoring Network Cultural Heritage and Natural Areas
The MPCA's ambient monitoring network Amendment.On November 4,2008,Minnesota
focuses on determining the amount of non- voters approved this amendment which
agricultural chemicals in the aquifers that are increased the sales and use tax rate by three-
most susceptible to pollution from human eighths of one percent on taxable sales through
activities. The network focuses on the surficial 2034.Parts of these funds are used to protect,
sand and gravel and Prairie du Chien-Jordan enhance, and restore groundwater,with at least
aquifers. Assessments of agricultural chemicals five percent of the funds targeted to protect
in groundwater are performed by the Minnesota drinking water sources.
Department of Agriculture.
wq-am 1-05
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency • 520 Lafayette Rd. N., St. Paul, MN 55155-4194 • www.pca.state.mn.us
651-296-6300 • 800-657-3864 • TTY 651-282-5332 or 800-657-3864 • Available in alternative formats