Minnegram is a quarterly publication of the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center and is sponsored by the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Science, University of Minnesota Extension, the USGS-USDI National Institutes for Water Resources, and the Agricultural Experiment Station.
Recent Minnegram News
Former WRC co-director Deb Swackhamer leaves a clear vision of Minnesota's water future
Former Water Resources Center director Deb Swackhamer passed away on April 23, 2021, the day following Earth day. As someone who dedicated her life to protecting water and the environment, the timing of her death was a bittersweet coincidence. Deb was a highly decorated and respected water researcher, specializing in studying processes affecting the behavior of chemicals in the environment.
Estimating annual chloride use in Minnesota
In Minnesota, there are 50 water bodies that exceed water quality standards for chloride and many wells have also demonstrated increasing trends for chloride, particularly the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA). Additionally, many municipalities in the state have high chloride levels in their wastewater treatment plant effluent and reasonable potential to exceed chloride water quality standards.