ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released its list of proposed impaired waters Tuesday, and for the first time, it included a lake flowing into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) watershed.
The MPCA added Birch Lake and a portion of the Dunka River, which both lay within the BWCA's Rainy River Watershed in the Superior National Forest, to the list this year, citing sulfate levels exceeding state regulations. Birch Lake, located between the northern Minnesota cities of Babbitt and Ely, is popular among recreationists and is also officially designated as a wild rice lake.
According to the MPCA, 199 impairments over a total 54 bodies of water across the state were added to the 2024 list, while 27 bodies of water were removed due to improved water quality. The agency also reported that its listing for 2024 saw a significant decrease in impairments from its last list in 2022, which proposed 417 new impairments in 305 total bodies of water. In addition to monitoring sulfate levels, the MPCA said it also monitors pollutants known as "forever chemicals."
The MPCA's list is updated and released to the public every two years, as required by the federal Clean Water Act. The legislation was implemented in an effort to track discharges of pollutants into bodies of water and regulate quality standards.
“Minnesota’s 2024 impaired waters list reflects our continued work to safeguard our state’s water resources,” said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler after releasing the updated list. “While progress is evident in the decrease in water body listings and impairments, the challenges we face, particularly in addressing sulfate levels and PFAS contamination, remind us that our mission of water restoration and protection is critical for Minnesota’s future.”
Ingrid Lyons, executive director for the nonprofit Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, spoke to reporters from the Capitol Wednesday about the pollution's impact on Birch Lake, which she called "ground zero" for proposed sulfide or copper mining.
"The results from this work are unequivocal," she said. "It is widely known that sulfite or copper mining is a dangerous source of acid, heavy metals and sulfate pollution. Birch Lake's status as impaired for sulfate has now been added to the growing list of reasons as to why the Boundary Waters and its watershed is an entirely inappropriate place for sulfide or copper mining."
Lyons claimed that because of this listing, no new mining permits should be issued that could potentially increase sulfate in Birch Lake.
The report also included data from the waters of the Mississippi River, Yellow Medicine River, Bois de Sioux River, and Mustinka River watersheds, among others.
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