Minnesota’s Clean Water Roadmap - What’s done, being done and yet to be done.

Minnesota’s Clean Water Roadmap is a set of goals for protecting and restoring Minnesota’s water resources during the 25-year life of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Clean Water Roadmap goals are based on currently available data and are intended to be ambitious, yet achievable. Progress in meeting these goals will require significant investment from the Clean Water Fund established by the Amendment, combined with historical water resource funding from other sources.

Wise investment of Clean Water Fund dollars requires that partners in water resource management share common expectations and join together in creating a pathway to achieve meaningful improvements in Minnesota’s water resources.

The Clean Water Roadmap will help the seven MN agencies with Clean Water Fund responsibilities:

1. Define aspirational, yet achievable goals for outcomes associated with 25 years of Clean Water Fund expenditures,
2. Establish interim benchmarks, to assess progress towards the 25-year goals,
3. Adjust program or funding priorities based on progress made towards the benchmarks and the 25-year goals,
4. Create realistic expectations among interested stakeholders and citizens about the potential for progress with the addition of Clean Water Fund dollars.

The first edition of the Clean Water Roadmap lays out goals for four high-level indicators that describe surface water quality, groundwater quality, and groundwater quantity. These concrete measures mirror Minnesotans’ desire for healthy lakes, rivers, streams, drinking water, and groundwater.