Monitoring & Assessment for Agricultural Chemicals in the Environment

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is the lead state agency for all aspects of pesticide and fertilizer environmental and regulatory functions. These authorities are described in Minnesota Statutes §§ 18B, 18C, 18D and 103H.

MDA Agricultural Chemical Monitoring and Assessment Programs:

• Recognize the need to balance responsible pesticide use and the protection of ground and surface water resources
• Are guided by the Pesticide Control Law and the Comprehensive Groundwater Protection Act, and are developed in accordance with the state's Pesticide Management Plan (PMP)
• Periodically collect and analyze water samples from selected locations throughout the state to determine the identity, concentration, and frequency of detections of pesticides in Minnesota's ground and surface water resources
• Are designed to define long-term impacts of normal pesticide use on waters within the state
• Conduct intensive monitoring of specific landforms that are more sensitive to pesticide contamination
• Focus on ground water impacts to aquifers beneath the central sand plain region are the most vulnerable in the state, and twelve counties in this area are currently being monitored
• Focus on surface water impacts at ten automated surface water monitoring stations that are equipped with continuous stage, precipitation, and temperature sensors

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Information Resources

• 2011 Water Quality Monitoring Report (PDF: 26.81 MB / 274 pages)
• 2011 Groundwater Monitoring Network Sample Results (PDF: 1.41 MB / 33 pages)
• 2011 Surface Water Quality Sample Results (PDF: 1.07 MB / 29 pages)
• 2012 Surface Water Quality Monitoring Annual Work Plan (PDF: 1.41 MB / 36 pages)
• 2012 Groundwater Quality Monitoring Annual Work Plan (PDF: 924 KB / 20 pages)
• Summary of Groundwater Nitrate-Nitrogen Data (PDF: 2.14 MB / 63 pages)
• 2010 Water Quality Monitoring Report (PDF: 8.23 MB / 282 pages)
• 2011 Groundwater Quality Monitoring Annual Work Plan (PDF: 728 KB / 25 pages) 
• 2011 Surface Water Quality Monitoring Annual Work Plan (PDF: 1.15 MB / 40 pages)
• 2009 Water Quality Monitoring Report (PDF: 4.30 MB / 205 pages) 
• Evaluation of an ELISA Method for Acetochlor Analysis in the Le Sueur River Watershed (PDF: 760 KB / 18 pages)
• 2010 Groundwater Quality Monitoring 2009 Annual Work Plan (PDF: 867 KB / 21 pages)
• 2010 Surface Water Quality Monitoring Annual Work Plan (PDF: 2.74 MB / 31 pages)
• Water Quality Monitoring Summary (PDF: 1.60 MB / 9 pages)
• Use of a Triazine Immunoassay Method in a Volunteer Drinking Water Monitoring Network in Southeast Minnesota to Screen for Atrazine Compounds (PDF: 182 KB / 18 pages)
• Groundwater Monitoring Design Document (revised) (PDF: 542 KB / 46 pages)
• Pesticides in Minnesota Lakes (PDF: 168 KB / 20 pages)
• Surface Water Quality Monitoring Design Document (PDF: 901 KB / 28 pages)
• Links to past documents 

MDA Contacts

Heather Johnson, Monitoring Unit Supervisor
651-201-6098
heather.johnson@state.mn.us

Daniel Stoddard, Section Manager
651-201-6291
dan.stoddard@state.mn.us