Water Quality

According to The Pew Charitable Trusts, peatlands hold an estimated 30% of the soil’s stored carbon pollution and twice as much as the world’s forests.

Plus: Bipartisan legislation for a land transfer in the Chippewa National Forest cleared a key Senate committee; and the Esko girls' soccer team will advance to the state semi-finals on Oct. 29, 2025.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s action level for lead is 15 parts per billion. Of 29 samples collected June through September, more than 10% exceeded the action level.

Without the funding, residents’ water bills could increase from about $40 a month to nearly $70. The projected costs for the new facility have risen substantially.

The second and final public comment evening for the boundary dispute trial heard a broad mix of comments from affected residents along Lake Bemidji.

Warming water may have an outsized impact on the legendary lake, which has been protected for decades.

Plus: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture announced it has $11 million to expand its innovative irrigation program; MnDOT staff will host an open house in Cloquet ahead of a planned 2028 project Thursday, Oct. 2; and Kootasca Community Action is gathering gently used costumes for Grand Rapids and I-Falls trick-or-treaters.

The five-year program will work on expanding conservation practices in irrigated agricultural land across Minnesota, with funds for ag producers available in late 2025.

A similar hearing for Bemidji residents will be hosted at the Sanford Event Center on Oct. 8, 2025.

The administrative trial over who will manage wastewater around Lake Bemidji began in July 2025, with hearings Sept. 29-Oct. 10, 2025, in Northern Township and Bemidji.