Addressing the groundwater challenges of today and tomorrow

Over the past ten years, Washington County has focused on inter-agency collaboration for regional issues, as well as implementing local programs to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination and promote water efficiency. Now, they’re looking ahead toward future challenges.

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Searching for treasure and coming up nettle

In Chisago and Washington Counties, 100% of the water we drink comes from groundwater. This beautifully designed natural system provides us with a steady supply of pure, clean drinking water that is filtered by layers of gravel, sand and soil. Unfortunately, however, we’re beginning to see elevated levels of nitrate from fertilizer and chloride from road salt and water softener salt in the groundwater that people are drinking.

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Mimicking Nature with Green Infrastructure

One way to make better use of nature’s readymade bioengineering is through green infrastructure practices such as raingardens, green roofs, and permeable pavement that help to catch water and hold it on the landscape for future use.

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Fossils, glaciers, and the water we drink

Groundwater provides 100 percent of the drinking water for people in Washington County and 70 percent of the drinking water in Minnesota.

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Rich Fen, Poor Bog

Bogs are acidic and nutrient-poor for plant growth. Fens are rich in nutrients and are alkaline. The Tamarack Nature Preserve is unique because it has characteristics of both.

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Feeling parched in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

According to the University of Minnesota, approximately 20% of all treated drinking water in the Twin Cities metro area is used outdoors, with a majority of this being used on lawns and landscapes.

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Intersex fish and cocaine shrimp

Scientists lay the blame for these strange phenomena on endocrine-disrupting chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds, such as pesticides, medications, and even common household products like shampoo.

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New rule restricts nitrogen fertilizer application after Sept. 1

Beginning September 1, 2020, Part 1 of the Groundwater Protection Rule goes into effect, restricting the application of nitrogen fertilizer in the fall and on frozen soils in areas with vulnerable groundwater. It applies to approximately 12-13% of Minnesota’s cropland and nearly half of the land in Washington County.

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A crack in the rock & a beach in the forest

Crystal Spring Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) in Scandia was established just four years ago. It contains a crystalline spring that pours out of the side of a rock wall, deep in an emerald chasm.

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