Search

The Groundwater Protection Rule is based on the Minnesota Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Plan. The NFMP outlines the state strategy for preventing contamination and responding to elevated nitrate from fertilizer in groundwater. The rule restricts fall application of nitrogen fertilizer in areas vulnerable to contamination and outlines steps to reduce the severity of the problem in areas where nitrate in public water supply wells is already elevated.

Nitrate is one of the most common contaminants in Minnesota’s groundwater. The majority of Minnesota households have access to safe drinking water supplies. However, in areas vulnerable to groundwater contamination, some public and private wells have nitrate levels that exceed the health risk limit for nitrate. While elevated levels of nitrate in groundwater can result from several factors, a major contributor in rural Minnesota is nitrogen fertilizer that leaches past the crop root zone.