The Condition of Minnesota's Groundwater, 2007 - 2011

Sufficient amounts of clean groundwater are vital to the state of Minnesota. Groundwater supplies drinking water to about 75 percent of all Minnesotans and almost all of the water used to irrigate the state's crops. The inflow of groundwater also is important to maintain the water level, pollution assimilative capacity, and/or temperature in Minnesota's streams, lakes, and wetlands. Groundwater also must be clean to meet most Minnesotans' needs. Polluted groundwater often is unsuitable for drinking and usually is very expensive to clean up. It also costs more to construct water-supply wells in areas with polluted groundwater since wells may need to be drilled deeper to tap uncontaminated aquifers in these areas. In some instances, water treatment devices or additional water testing may be required before a new water-supply well can be used in areas with polluted groundwater.