Gov. Dayton Announces $220 Million Water Quality Initiative

Governor Dayton announced a $220 million plan Wednesday to modernize Minnesota’s aging water infrastructure and protect water quality. 

The plan would allocate $167 million of his Jobs Bill proposal to assist communities across the state that cannot afford to make critical investments in the aging water infrastructure. 

Under the plan, $52.7 million would be invested for water quality protection initiatives at the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Metropolitan Council. 

The funding will help leverage millions of federal dollars to implement conservation practices conservation practices to restore and protect water quality throughout Minnesota. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Minnesota communities will need $11 billion in water infrastructure improvements over the next two decades. 

The money will be used to replace aging wastewater and drinking water systems, upgrade treatment facilities to meet higher standards, and expand systems to accommodate growth. 

Locally, the plan will impact the St. Louis River Clean-up in Duluth.  

The proposal includes $12.7 million to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for the clean-up of the St. Louis River estuary and the Duluth/Superior harbor.