Minnesota is very proud of its water.

Of all of our state nicknames, we are most famous in the United States for being the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” That name is even a bit of a misnomer, as we are estimated to have more than 14,000 lakes and 34,000 miles of lakeshore, not to mention the major rivers that flow through the state.

But for all of the attention paid to our bodies of water, we haven’t always taken the best care of them.

One major example of this is the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” in our state’s water supply.

University of Minnesota bioproducts and biosystems science professor Roger Ruan said PFAS chemicals are produced when solar radiation heats materials like fire-retardant fabrics and non-stick pans in landfills, bringing fluorine-containing chemicals into the environment.

“These are very stable molecules, and there are literally thousands of different kinds of forms of these organic, fluorine-containing molecules,” Ruan said. “And when they are in the environment, it’s not easy to break them down further.”

PFAS chemicals have been used in various products since the 1940s, but increased testing in Minnesota in the 2000s led to the discovery of several areas in the state that had increased levels of the chemicals. 

Medical evidence suggests certain types of PFAS are also linked to increased rates of kidney and testicular cancer, lower antibody response to vaccines and hypertension and preeclampsia in pregnancy, among other conditions.

While water sources in Minneapolis did not register significant levels of PFAS recently, you do not need to go far outside of the University to find areas struggling with PFAS contamination. 

The community water systems for Brooklyn Park, Robbinsdale and South St. Paul, all areas near or on the Mississippi River, registered PFAS levels higher than the federal maximum containment level on their most recent tests. 

If this containment spreads, serious issues may arise for the Twin Cities as a whole, as Minneapolis, St. Paul and more than 50 other communities rely on the Mississippi River for their daily water supply.

Ruan said while there are a variety of ways to try to remove chemicals like PFAS from things like drinking water, the most important thing is to contain these chemicals in solid waste landfills to prevent them from getting into the local environment.

“The key is the source, right?” Ruan said. “You have to prevent it from getting into the source.  But if some of those garbages and so on get into the environment, then you contaminate the groundwater and so on, and so we just have to avoid that.”

Aside from the health risks PFAS chemicals pose, another substantial problem with their presence is the cost of their removal.

The city of Apple Valley, which has more than the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum containment levels of two common PFAS chemicals in half of its wells, plans to spend $106 million to improve its water treatment capabilities.

Fortunately, significant progress has been made in preventing further water pollution. Largely thanks to the activism of cancer patient Amara Strande, Minnesota now has the nation’s strictest regulations on the production of PFAS chemicals.

Unfortunately, our work isn’t done. 

From chloride to microplastics, a variety of other pollutants threaten our waterways and aquatic ecosystems. We also need to figure out how to contain the pollutants we have already produced and keep them from reaching our water supply.

University second-year earth science student Brendan Johnson said while he isn’t as concerned about the pollution of lakes as a whole, he is concerned about how those lakes will be further affected by climate change.

“Individual aquatic environments will start to get worse more and more frequently as large-scale climate change occurs more and more,” Johnson said.

Climate change is another threat to our water’s quality, as it can increase the amount of sediments, nutrients and pathogens in bodies of water, even leading to harmful algae blooms.

Despite the variety of factors that threaten our water quality, politicians like Rep. Pete Stauber have tried to open watershed areas like the Boundary Waters for copper and nickel mining, potentially putting the water source for local wilderness areas at risk.

Johnson said community organization is the most important way to work on environmental issues, and that can be seen in previous successful policy accomplishments.

“It’s worked in the past,” Johnson said. “CFCs are no longer a thing. People thought the end was nigh due to CFCs, and because people organized, recognized there was a problem and seriously enacted change, we’re still okay on that front.”

Our lakes, rivers and streams are part of what makes Minnesota so unique. 

Our bodies of water help irrigate our 26 million acres of farmland and generate more than $1.1 billion in value for our state’s economy through boating and fishing alone. It is the water we drink, bathe and wash our dishes with.

We must keep working to take care of the water that takes care of us.