Minnesota’s 2026 Impaired Water List Probably Has Your Lake On It
I saw that there was an upcoming live public meeting for discussions about water quality across Minnesota. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has come out with its 2026 list of impaired waters. I expected a few hundred impaired rivers, streams, or lakes. I did not expect to see thousands of lakes, rivers, streams, and even ditches to make the impaired list. As I scrolled down, I was surprised to see our tiny little lake on the list. In fact, most of the lakes that I visit are on the list.
Tomorrow will be the first meeting, and they will be discussing the Northern Region, which includes Red Lake, River, Grand Marais Creek, Thief River, Sanhill River, and Lake Of The Woods.
If you're curious and want to look at the impaired water list, be prepared to scroll. There are over 6500 water bodies described by their name, location, county, and the pollutant or stressor found.
For example, the St. Louis River has been an area of concern for years, and they've worked hard to clean up the waterway. However, on the impaired list, it shows there is mercury in fish tissue, PCBs, Dieldrin, PFOS, Dioxin, DDT, Sulfates, and other pollutants. Yikes.
Most of Minnesota's popular lakes, like Vermilion, Mille Lacs, Lake Of The Woods, Red Lake, and many others, have mercury in fish tissue.
The interactive map available on the MCPA's website is sobering. Everything in red is affected.
To be clear, these lakes haven't all been added at once. This is the compiled and updated list of water bodies that have pollutants or stressors. Many plans have already been implemented for cleaning up the watersheds. The goal of the upcoming meetings is to update the public about the findings in the last two years and the process moving forward.
To see which lakes and water bodies are on the list, you can download the spreadsheet from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
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