Mankato to Dayton: Do better on water quality

City manager Pat Hentges said he wants to tell the governor something’s missing in state water-pollution efforts.
Three-quarters of Mankato’s drinking water comes from shallow wells in sandy areas near the Minnesota and Blue Earth rivers, Hentges said.
He said the state has been far tougher on city wastewater than farm runoff, and wants the governor to put more state money into programs that help farmers reduce runoff.
Still, Flood said the state is addressing farm runoff.
Minnesota is also launching new fertilizer regulations aimed at reducing nitrate levels in surface and ground waters.
The result: cities like Mankato often face big bills to get rid of pollution that arrives in farm runoff from far away.
But southern Minnesota farmer and trucker Steve Rose said he thinks most farmers are taking steps to clean up runoff from their land.
He has installed grass waterways and terraces on his land to reduce erosion and keep soil on his land.
"The land is what we live off here," Rose said.
"You have to take care of your land first.

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