WEIGH IN ON WATER: Why take action?

When we asked seven Minnesotans to "weigh in" and tell us why they got involved in water issues, we heard about brown rivers in southern Minnesota, green lakes in northern Minnesota and mercury in fish in the Twin Cities.

Why people want to do something about cleaning Minnesota's water varies, but seldom, it seems, does the reason stem from an abstract sense of a generalized problem.

It's not the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico that Lauren Klement in Le Sueur County cites; it's the swamp she grew up on. It's not invasive species that Patrick Moore in Montevideo mentions; it's seeing dirt mix with wind-blown snow when he visited the countryside as a teenager.

You can read the answers from our panel of Minnesotans involved in water issues here and, of course, add your own comments at the bottom of that page.

This is the third of our water-related "Weigh In" discussion questions. The first one deals with farming practices, as did the online chat we held Sept. 30. The second "Weigh In" question dealt with why local action matters.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on any and all.

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