Massive fish die-offs, dried streambeds and polluted bodies of water are coming to a head with Minnesota’s “pristine waters” reputation — much of which is attributed to nitrate pollution in groundwater.

Currently, over 70% of nitrates found in Minnesota’s groundwater derive from cropland, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. The agency also found that the highest levels of nitrates in groundwater are found in the southern regions of the state, which is where the majority of crop and livestock farming takes place.

If the state wants to sustainably manage and maintain its clean water resources, nitrate-based fertilizer used by its central and southern agriculture industries must decrease.

America’s infatuation with using nitrates to accelerate agricultural production has been exponential since its implementation. The average grade of nitrates used in agricultural fertilizers in 1940 was around .22 grams. In 2015, the grade was measured at 9.04 grams — that is an over 97% increase. Similarly, nitrate levels found in groundwater, which is where most drinking water comes from, have steadily increased, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

The problem with nitrates lies in their excessive use. Without the naturally occurring compound, plants would essentially starve,which is why synthetic versions are incorporated into the fertilizers used by virtually every farmer in Minnesota. By controlling the amount fixed by crops, yields become easy to predict and significantly bigger. However, when used in amounts greater than what soil can absorb, it leeches into the groundwater.

In 1974 the government declared levels of 10 parts per million in drinking water as the contamination threshold under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Since then, research has indicated that half of the amount leads to health defects. The Environmental Working Group released an analysis in 2020 using federal and state data that reveals over 500,000 residents drink from wells — private and public — with elevated levels of nitrates. Consumption has led to severe health effects, like “Blue Baby Syndrome” and cancer.

It has become clear to Minnesota lawmakers and management agencies that groundwater pollution is a public health crisis. As a result, the Department of Agriculture released a Groundwater Protection Rule in 2019 that consists of two parts. The first restricts application in the fall season in areas vulnerable to contamination. The second includes plans to manage already contaminated public water sources — failing to address private, rural wells.

Though state-wide regulations provide solutions to some experiencing impacts of nitrate contamination, thousands of others are still left paying for cancer-filled drinking water.

The faster-paced solution exists within locally-based social and financial incentives.

One example of local pollution management is Chisago county’s Lakes Improvement fund, which is the only county-based public aid of its kind in the state. Farmers attend workshops where they learn about federal grants and other incentives to use “green” farming methods that reduce rates of nitrate leaching.

Cover crops and no-till farming trended in the county’s local agriculture industry since the fund’s implementation.

Crop covering involves planting additional crops, not necessarily to harvest, but to absorb heavy amounts of moisture. Meanwhile, no-till farming simply means soil isn’t made more permeable through upturning. Both methods protect groundwater from nitrate pollution by limiting rates of erosion.

The fund also lends its services to connecting farmers with the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, or MAWQCP — another example of a successful pollution control incentive program. Voluntary standards, education and federal aid are how the MAWQCP encourages farmers to limit nitrate pollution practices. Nitrate consumers work with agents to formulate plans to limit conditions where nitrate contamination runs rampant.

Discretion in rural, southern Minnesota’s relationship with nitrate-dependent production will be imperative in the coming years of groundwater status. Nitrate pollution is just one of the several threats to Minnesota’s water — all of which are undeniably interdependent on one another. As such, the McDonaldized practice of American farming is a functioning representation of how any form of water commodification is unsustainable.

Impending Nitrate Pollution in Southern Minnesota