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Call your state’s environmental department and find out what programs they have to address water pollution. In 500 words or less, describe the program you think is the most sustainable solution and why.

Congratulations to our winners, Ashley, Alexandria, Emma, and Cade! They will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a World Savvy t-shirt for they excellent responses to Scavenger Hunt Question 1:

There are many water pollution prevention programs in Minnesota like the MN Watersheds which is angled to prevent water pollution of running water. There is a Storm Water program that helps improve the quality of storm water, and a bunch of other ones that don’t seem to get at really helping the overall quality of the Minnesota waters. Personally, I think that the Clean Water Fund is the most sustainable program out there as of now. This is a well rounded act because it isn’t focusing on one problem but is trying to prevent a whole series of problems in one program! What the Clean Water Fund is trying to do is protect drinking water sources and historical sites, and last but not least protect and enhance wetlands, wildlife, lakes, rivers, and streams. Again, what I really like about this program is that it solves a lot of problems; I think they hit the bulls-eye on that and choosing what is important to focus on. But with pros there is always cons, I think that they could have put some more money into protecting drinking water. The drinking water portion of the program is budgeted at $17 million, I know that sound like a lot but it is the least funded portion of the project, and we need it to survive. I think that they could take some money away from the study part because $34 million is going into that portion; I honestly think that is way too much because I’m sure a lot of colleges and states are already putting big bucks into it. So the best program out there I think is the Clean Water Fund.                                          

  Water pollution in Minnesota is regulated by the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.). They control water pollution through several different programs. Some of these programs include the NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permit, oil pollution programs, and groundwater protection programs.
   
        I think the most sustainable program is the NPDES permit system because these permits cover both storm water and waste water. The federal government (EPA) wrote the rules that cover the NPDES system and the MPCA implements it. Under this program a permit is needed to discharge wastewater or storm water. Those who are covered by these permits are required to meet water quality limits to protect the waters they discharge to.
       
        It’s easy to sustain because it’s impossible to build a building or a manufacturing plant without someone noticing that a permit is needed for those activities.  My dad is the environmental health and safety manager for a large manufacturing company.  Because of the NPDES program, companies like his know that these permits are required and they plan ahead before any new construction.  In Minnesota any new construction that disturbs more than 1 acre of land also need a permit.  Manufacturing plants and construction projects know that if they need to get a permit water treatment systems are necessary to meet the water quality standards.  Some of the things they may need to put in place include silt fences, inspection programs, settling basins, water treatment systems, etc.
   
        Most of our local rivers and lakes are much cleaner today than they were prior to this permit program.  Humans are always going to have to deal with water pollution.  This system makes humans accountable for the final destination of water discharges and greatly helps our environment in a very sustainable way.

  I found a lot of great programs but I think the best program for water pollution prevention was P2, also known as Pollution Prevention. This program helps to reduce the cost, risks, and environmental concerns. They try to eliminate the pollution right at its source. P2 is multimedia meaning that they try to eliminate pollution in the air, land, as well as, in water. P2 doesn’t include steps like installing or upgrading filters or anything that captures, treats, or manages waste that do not prevent their generation during the actual process of manufacturing a product. P2 does involve manufacturers taking steps such as product reformulation to eliminate or use less of a toxic chemical, or maybe replacing a cleaning product with a better and safer one. It also tries to help worker training to reduce overspray. I think that P2 is the best program because it is really dedicated to reducing and eliminating pollution. I also think that this is the best program because, like I said before, not only does it work with reducing pollution in water but it is also dedicated to reducing pollution in the air as well as land. This program is also really good for the environment because is trying to use less of toxic chemicals that help reduce the pollution in the water, air, and land.

I needed to find out what the Minnesota’s Environmental Department had to offer for programs to stop the pollution in water in Minnesota and to pick a program that I believe to be most efficient.  So I called Minnesota’s Environmental Department and they gave me a list of resources.  I have decided to research three of them so I can find the most sustainable solution to Minnesota’s polluting lakes.

1)  The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) tries to control the water and what goes inside of it.  They monitor water that doesn’t meet their standards and attempt to make it better.  They also try to maintain good surface water in the lakes in Minnesota.
2) The Feedlots program is also ran by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.  This program controls the collection, transportation, storage, processing, and disposal of animal manure and the controls the livestock industry.  Every two years, two-thousand volunteers help check lakes in Minnesota for manure and other fertilizers.  This program makes sure no chemicals get into lakes and kill fish.  It also gets others to “contribute” to the environment.
3) The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program helps businesses stop pollution before it becomes a problem.  This program attacks pollution at its source so it doesn’t happen in the first place.  Water cannot be polluted if there aren’t any polluting substances that can reach the water.  This program also helps reduce energy use and the cost of some sources of energy.  A goal this program has is to get the most out of energy and make sure there is none left over.  Overall, this is a very sustainable solution to reduce water pollution in Minnesota.

I believe that the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program is the most sustainable program Minnesota has towards ending water pollution.  The Feedlots program will only remove manure and other fertilizers from the lakes and the MPCA is almost trying to control the water itself.  The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program attacks the problem at its source, and that can be a weapon that Minnesota needs in the battle against pollution.