Elizabeth Dunbar
Researchers are using satellite data to measure groundwater use and how much is left. A key scientist will talk about the effort tonight in St. Paul. Read more →
MPR News How communities are facing the future
By Elizabeth Dunbar
Elizabeth Dunbar covers the environment for MPR News.
Ramsey District Judge Margaret Marrinan refused to decide by summary judgment whether the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is at fault for the low water levels in White Bear Lake. Read more →
New student housing at the University of Minnesota includes a system for collecting stormwater from the roof and using it to flush the toilets for 600 students. Read more →
A draft of a report by the Metropolitan Council says shifting some suburbs’ reliance from groundwater to Mississippi River water could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. It also says piping water from the river to raise levels in White Bear Lake would cost $50 million but leave officials uncertain of the impact. Read more →
Minnesotans are becoming more aware of the pressure on the state’s groundwater resources. Here are 11 ways to use less water on your lawn. Read more →
Golf courses are looking at better technology, not only to let them use stormwater for irrigating grass but to better determine how much water to use and what grass might use less. University of Minnesota professor Brian Horgan explains. Read more →
New Brighton officials are asking a judge to make the U.S. Army keep paying to treat groundwater it contaminated years ago. The treated water supplies both New Brighton and neighboring Fridley with drinking water. Read more →
Friends of the Mississippi River says a Senate proposal to spend $800,000 studying whether to fill White Bear Lake with river water is a bad idea. It doesn’t solve the larger problem and it’s already being studied by the Metropolitan Council, the group says. Read more →
Although concerns about sustainable water use is usually considered a problem, they also can present a business opportunity. That’s the topic for a “water technology summit” the state Department of Employment and Economic Development is holding on Tuesday. Read more →
A Department of Natural Resources request for a bigger stick to deal with irrigators and other big water users who violate permit requirements has run into both backing and criticism at the Legislature. Read more →