It’s time for nitrate action now.

THE PROBLEM

you can’t see it, smell it, or taste it.

But toxic nitrate already pollutes the drinking water of 1 out of every 8 Minnesotans. After nearly 40 years of waiting for the state to act, agricultural pollution still not under control.

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A young girl with long brown hair and glasses is washing a large glass jar in a kitchen sink.

Tall green grasses and reeds along a water body with a clear blue sky and distant trees on the horizon.

the solution

Enforceable limits that protect water quality. That's how Minnesota already handles pollution from factories, power plants, and treatment facilities. It's time agriculture was held to the same standard. The current voluntary scheme will not guarantee cleaner, safer drinking water during our lifetime.

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Two people in winter clothing, kneeling in snow, with a black dog, a tennis ball, and a leash, in a snowy forest with trees and a partly cloudy sky.

“

stories

Mike & Jen Tauber

Cass, Minnesota

“For decades, we’ve watched chemical agriculture transform our neighborhood. This is industrial-scale production and unrestrained pollution: they cleared jack pine forests first and now drench fields with chemicals and irrigation that all but guarantees nitrates and other chemicals end up in groundwater. Some people in this position are simply leaving – remaining on the land becomes very difficult when drinking water is poisoned, the air is full of chemical drift, and the option of fleeing is still available.”

Protecting Clean Water is Popular

Colorful protest signs in front of a courthouse, including messages about protecting water and future generations, with a Judicial Center building in the background.

9 in 10

Minnesotans want to see the state do more to address nitrate pollution.

A green John Deere tractor working in a wheat field under a clear blue sky, with trees in the background.

71%

of Minnesotans support setting clear, enforceable limits, similar to limits already required of other industries.

7 in 10

Minnesotans would be more likely to support a state legislator who made protecting clean water from agricultural pollution a top priority.

A girl with long brown hair filling a glass with water from a kitchen sink. The sink has a silver faucet and soap dispensers nearby. There is a potted plant on the counter and a window above the sink letting in natural light.

Source: Survey of 800 Minnesotans conducted by Breakthrough Research, August 18-25, 2026 via an opt-in online panel provided by Cint. A random sample of this size would carry the equivalent of a margin of error of +/- 3.5% at the 95% confidence level. Results are representative by age, gender, political affiliation, and household income.