State asks the public if groundwater rule is enough to curb farm fertilizer pollution
Officials seek public input as critics say current rule has failed to reduce nitrate pollution
By Emily Payne
More than 70% of the nitrates entering Minnesota waters are from cropland, with the remaining sources including wastewater treatment plants, septic systems and urban runoff. Nitrate pollution in drinking water is linked to increased cancer risk in adults and acute, life-threatening illnesses for children, including methemoglobinemia, or blue baby syndrome...The Groundwater Protection Rule only addresses part of the nitrogen entering Minnesota’s soils. The rule applies to commercial fertilizer use, which accounts for an estimated 75% of the nitrogen that is applied to agricultural fields in Minnesota. The remaining 25% of nitrogen applied to fields is from animal manure, which falls under the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Who bears the cost?
States vary widely in their approach to nitrate management, and many lack robust enforcement. However, some states are now proposing legislation to reevaluate manure management and monitoring...“The fact is, when you are a producer and you apply too much nitrogen, you might see a benefit from that, you might not…[but] you have almost no additional costs,” says Anderson. “The costs are imposed on people whose private wells are contaminated, who will have medical issues because we are drinking contaminated water, on cities that have to dig new wells or implement really expensive treatment processes for nitrates.”
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