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Water

Water shortages and problems around Minnesota — and the country — have many wondering what is the true cost of clean and reliable water. This reporting is supported in part by The Water Main, a project of American Public Media.

Long before RFK Jr., Brainerd fought bitter legal battle over fluoride in its water supply

Long before RFK Jr., Brainerd fought bitter legal battle over fluoride in its water supply

The topic of whether to fluoridate drinking water is back in the public sphere again, in part because of the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary. It’s an issue that caused a decades long debate in the central Minnesota town of Brainerd, which is looking back on that period with an original show, “Fluoride, the Musical.”
by Kirsti Marohn

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A drop in groundwater could mean big trouble for a tiny snail as Nevada lithium project presses on

A drop in groundwater could mean big trouble for a tiny snail as Nevada lithium project presses on

Opponents of a huge lithium mine under construction in Nevada want U.S. officials to investigate whether the project already has caused a drop in groundwater levels that could lead to extinction of a tiny snail.
by The Associated Press

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‘Livers of the river’: Feds propose designating rivers as critical habitat for freshwater mussels

‘Livers of the river’: Feds propose designating rivers as critical habitat for freshwater mussels

Freshwater mussels were once abundant throughout Minnesota’s waterways. But their populations have declined due to habitat loss, pollution, dam construction and competition from invasive species.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Twenty years after first proposed, NewRange still vying to build Minnesota’s first copper mine

Twenty years after first proposed, NewRange still vying to build Minnesota’s first copper mine

Nearly 20 years after it was first proposed to state and federal regulators, the project formerly known as PolyMet Mining — now NewRange Copper Nickel — soldiers on, despite environmental groups’ contention that the project in its current form is dead.
by Dan Kraker

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Impacts of Rapidan Dam breach on Minnesota likely to be long-lasting

Impacts of Rapidan Dam breach on Minnesota likely to be long-lasting

Six months after the Blue Earth River carved its way around the Rapidan Dam near Mankato, the surrounding community is still coming to terms with the damage and its longer-term implications. Sediment levels in the river remain high, and a nearby bridge is now being replaced.
by Hannah Yang

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Record dryness in US Northeast should change water behavior, experts say

Record dryness in US Northeast should change water behavior, experts say

The U.S. Northeast is experiencing an unusually severe and widespread drought during months that are typically the wettest. Experts say major changes need to happen to avoid future critical shortages of water and as the climate warms droughts will continue to intensify, which should prompt communities to use this drought as motivation to implement long-term solutions.
by The Associated Press

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What a mollusc shell and fiber optic cables have in common

What a mollusc shell and fiber optic cables have in common

A heart cockle shell has been found to let in light through a design that resembles fiber optic cables. This could inspire everything from helping coral survive to designing new camera lenses.
by Ari Daniel

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Research finds insecticide common in shallow ground water across Minnesota

Research finds insecticide common in shallow ground water across Minnesota

New research found widespread contamination by neonicotinoid insecticides in shallow groundwater across Minnesota. The neurotoxic chemicals are the mostly widely used class of insecticide in the U.S.
by Dan Gunderson

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Should Minnesota continue to put lottery dollars toward the environment?

Should Minnesota continue to put lottery dollars toward the environment?

Currently 40 percent of proceeds from the state lottery go into a fund aimed at protecting the state’s environment. Voters will decide next week whether to renew the fund for another 25 years, but a proposed addition is getting some pushback.
by Dan Kraker

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