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Get out and enjoy our river! Wherever you are in the Upper Mississippi Basin, you can visit a stream and be part of the flow of the watershed. Celebrate River Days of Action - June 6-15, 2026! Dedicated days where we make ripples into waves. Experiencing and connecting with the Mighty Miss is the best way to become one with the River. Experience the joy of making a real impact through hands-on activities and events. Participate in canoe excursions, restoration projects, engaging webinars, and more events that inspire action for our people, land, water, and wildlife. River Days now begins with a new, annual tradition – a day dedicated to the River: National Mississippi River Day on June 2nd. Learn more and get involved here. There are events up and down the river so you can find something in your area!
LWV Johnson County also go into the act for River Days of Action, working with the City of Iowa City to make a proclamation about the Mississippi and its importance to Iowans. LWV members Cathy Eisenhofer and Nancy Porter attended the Iowa City, Iowa, City Council Meeting on May 21. They were first on the agenda as Council Member Shawn Harmsen, who was raised along the Mississippi River, read the Proclamation, and Mayor Bruce Teague signed the document. Nancy spoke at the mic as a LWV member of JCLWV and UMRR ILO and UMRR representative to One Mississippi. As a public school educator in Iowa City and always a teacher, Nancy added the information that Iowa’s farm landscape is responsible for at a large share of the nutrient pollution entering the Gulf of Mexico and in a recent survey by the U of Missouri, only 19% of people living in Iowa knew they lived in the watershed of the Mississippi. Too many people need educating on the power and importance of the Mississippi River. Nancy thanked the City Council for allowing citizen input through proclamations and noted several individuals working for the City who helped make this event happen for the Mississippi River. She ended with announcing she’ll be back next year to honor the River and invited the Council to celebrate the Mississippi River on June 5 with LWV Johnson County.  Mayor Bruce Teague of Iowa City holds the Mississippi River Proclamation after he signed it.
LWV ABC members remember Colleen as thoughtful and caring. She showed up and was happy to help when needed. Colleen's other involvements (that we know of...) The Rum River Art Center in Anoka offers a variety of art classes. Angie Renee, artist and teacher, said Colleen was in many of her classes. Angie remembers Colleen as soft spoken and creative. Two of her recent classes were Outside the Line and Mixed Media, where Colleen has been drawing and painting buffaloes. Colleen was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka. She carried her advocacy here as well, serving on the Creation Care team. Her creativity and free spirit were evident at their meetings. Colleen was elected as a Supervisor to the Anoka Conservation District in 2021. Here's a welcome introduction that the Anoka Conservation District shared when Colleen was elected:  Photo - Anoka Conservation District Colleen Werdien is a Minnesota native, growing up with her family in Mounds View before moving to Anoka County 25 years ago. She settled first in Columbia Heights, but seven years ago when she saw an article in the paper about an old house for sale that was originally built in 1852, she decided to move to the city of Anoka very near the banks of the Rum River. Growing up, nature was always easily accessible for Colleen. In her childhood home, Colleen fell in love with the knee-high prairie grasses and small creek running through her backyard and the forest right across the street. Colleen carried these experiences in nature throughout her life, naming several significant places in Minnesota she loves to visit today including the Boundary Waters, Jeffers Petroglyphs in the southwest, and the prairies of Pipestone. Her home in Anoka sits on ¾ of an acre that is largely shaded by mature trees. In her sunny boulevard, Colleen tends to a variety of native plants that are beneficial for pollinators while working to keep the invasive weeds and buckthorn at bay. If she's not out in her yard, you are most likely to find Colleen pursuing one of her many artistic interests from pottery to felt and wool, and from drawing to playing the ukulele and piano! Colleen is already an active member of her community working with several local organizations and volunteer groups. She is an active member of the Andover Pollinator Awareness Project as well as the Anoka County Master Gardeners, both of which allow her to work with and advocate for the native prairie plants and flowers she adores. In addition, Colleen volunteers for her church and serves on the HRA Board working to purchase and revitalize homes that have fallen into disrepair. Still, Colleen felt the desire to do more for her community to make an impact. She has been concerned about the state of our natural resources her whole life and when she learned of the work ACD does, she knew she would be able to make a big impact in conservation work throughout the county as a supervisor. As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, people are drawn to beaches across the Upper Mississippi River Region. While waterbodies are often an ideal environment for picturesque memories, they can also be an ideal environment for cyanobacteria and amoebae. Keep yourself safe from these health hazards this summer by learning more below about harmful algae toxins, brain-eating amoeba and (less scary sounding but still can be deadly...) e. Coli bacteria.
While it’s possible to come in contact with cyanotoxins through contaminated drinking water or food supplies, typical exposure comes from recreational activities such as swimming and boating. To minimize your risk… Know before you go Many regions have public water quality monitoring data available during the summer months, allowing you to check for advisories before heading to the beach. Identify signs HABS can be easy to spot due to key tell-tale signs. They may present as a colorful foam, scum, or mat on the water, with people often likening their appearance to spilled paint. Check out these resources to learn more. Identify symptoms HABS can cause symptoms ranging from minor skin and respiratory irritation to stomach pain and liver damage. Check out these resources to learn more. Seek care if needed Contact your doctor, vet, or local poison control if symptoms worsen or persist.
Naegleria fowleri can cause infections in humans when contaminated water goes up through the nose and to the brain. It cannot be transmitted from person to person or from swallowing water. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), infection usually occurs “after someone goes swimming or diving in a lake, river, or other fresh water during summer months”, and “when it's been hot for long periods, resulting in higher water temperatures and lower water levels.” While there are typically 10 or fewer cases in the United States each year, they are almost always fatal. While monitoring early symptoms, such as headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, and contacting your doctor is important, the infection’s quick advancement and lack of treatment makes prevention crucial. CDC steps to reduce your risk include covering your nose when putting your head under freshwater, keeping it above water in hot springs, and using distilled or boiled tap water for nasal rinsing. E. Coli and other enteric (intestinal) bacteria As the below diagram shows, there are many ways that Escherichia coli, commonly known as E.coli, can get into our water. This bacteria originates from the intestines of warm-blooded animals and can cause gastrointestinal illnesses when humans come in contact with it. While E. coli often causes minor discomfort, the United States Geological survey (USGS) notes it "may cause serious conditions or death in others, especially in the very young, old, or those with weakened immunological systems". States monitor E.coli levels in accordance with EPA limits and use results as an indicator for other potential bacteria presence. Be sure to watch for floating feces (from geese or human diapers) and posted signs at your local beach before swimming to avoid contact with contaminated water. Learn more here.  Graphic: University of Michigan: https://www.canr.msu.edu/msu-water/red-cedar-river-watershed/surface-water-monitoring-on-the-red-cedar-river  This Earth Month, Communications Intern Dela Anderson set out to learn more ways we can all get our hands wet and protect the waters we love. She started by creating this list of water-centric events across the Upper Mississippi River Region, organized by state. Then, Dela attended Mississippi Water Stewards: Community-Based Watershed Education and Protection. This event, presented by the Universities Council on Water Resources and Southern Illinois University, featured Dr. Beth Baker, professor and extension researcher at Mississippi State University. Baker’s work includes managing a citizen-based water monitoring program — something that exists all throughout our region! Want to get involved in your state? Keep reading. Illinois Iowa Minnesota Missouri Wisconsin
If you don’t see your watershed represented, don’t worry. There are many other ways to get your hands wet, like requesting a free nitrate testing kit for your area from the Izaak Walton League of America’s Nitrate Watch program. Additionally, consider becoming a community scientist by downloading iNaturalist and making observations. You can even join regional challenges, like the annual Great Lakes BioBlitz! If you want to start more involved monitoring in your area, check out WaterRangers, a non-profit that offers an “open-access data platform, testing equipment, and training resources to help communities collect, organize, and share water quality data.” We hope to see you out on the water this month and every month! Why do people test for nitrate? This article in the Iowa Capitol Dispatch exlores that question... Here’s why Iowans say they volunteer to test lakes, rivers for nitrates By:Zach Sommers-April 25, 20268:00 am Iowans all across the state are volunteering to go out to rivers and lakes near their homes to test for nitrates, which are associated with various health risks. Follow along as several participants in the Nitrate Watch program take water samples, conduct nitrate tests and report their findings. Click here for the full article in the Iowa Capitol Dispatch!  Pine Island is a small farming town on US52 between St. Paul and Rochester, Minnesota. Google has announced that they will be building a large-scale data center on 88 acres in a 482 parcel there. It is likely that more are planned to follow. The nature of the project was not revealed during the environmental reveiw phase, and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy has sued, alleging that the reveiw was flawed because the full impact of the project was not assessed. In this blog post, we provide a short bibiography of resources to learn more about this project which promised a number of environmental upgrades to address issues of concern with data centers. This article from Minnesota Public Radio provides a good overview of this project. For a background on data centers in general, why they use so much energy and water, and what living near a data center means, check out this video from Business Insider.  Opponents of hyperscale data centers display banners during a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol February 2026. Nicole Ki | MPR News Beyonce'? No, BYONCE The Pine Island Google Data Center project - Project Skyway - was revealed as a new, green data center. They will use air-cooling to reduce operating temperatures, greatly reducing water use. Their energy would come from new, green sources that Google would build - wind, solar and backup batteries for when these sources aren't operating. This is the BYONCE principal - Bring Your Own Clean Energy. To learn more about BYONCE - check out this excellent article from Mike Jacobs, Senior Energy Analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists. What about the water? In detailed reporing in the Minnesota Women's Press, Drs. Carly Griffiths and Carrie Jennings look at water use by data centers, potential contmainination and the impacts on other water users n the area. These concerns are not ameliorated when the data center (or other large water user) is connected to a municipal water supply - this just shifts the impact to a larger community, the city water rate payers. The Minnesota Legislature is looking at this issue in 2026 - click here to read about a bill now active to begin to address these concerns. Legal Actions The Minnesota Center for Environmenal Advocacy (MCEA) has brought lawsuits against data center developments in Minnesota, including the Pine Island Skyway project. This page on the MCEA website provides a good overview of their work here and an opportunity to sign up for updates. Other data center coverage on the LWV UMRR website:
Data Center Gold Rush: Diving into Water Demands - this December 2025 program by LWV UMRR features Sara Mooradian and Peg Furshong of CURE talking about data center developments in Minnesota, with a focus on water concerns. Data Center Conference Brings Together Developers, Local Officials and Environmental Groups This post recaps a November 2025 conference that looks at economic benefits of data centers as well as environmental concerns. Minnesota Data Center Law becomes law June 14, 2025 The Minnosta Legisltuare passed their first data center law in 2025 - read about it in this post. While this bill povided a start on regulation, it leaves gaps in that it does not require disclosure of a project as a data center during the environmental review phase among other things. The 1972 Clean Water Act is a central piece of federal legislation that forms the cornerstone of water quality regulation in the US today, and it's being chipped away. First, the Sackett decision removed many wetlands and small streams from protection, and then subsequent changes to the definition of Water of the US (WOTUS) provided detail and codified the decsion in law. Now there are two bills before Congress ( the PERMIT Act and SPEED Act bills) that seek to limit the government's ability to regulate sources of water pollution. As of April 1, 2026, the U.S. House has passed both the PERMIT Act (H.R. 3898) and the SPEED Act (H.R. 4776), aimed at accelerating federal reviews under NEPA and the Clean Water Act. These bills focus on shortening lawsuit timelines, limiting environmental review scope, and enhancing electronic permitting. These bills are now in the US Senate.
You can also send letters to your US Senators, letting them know about your concerns. LWV UMRR's "Take Action" page includes information on how to reach your Senators. Text of the letters sent to US Senators in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri:
The purpose of this letter is to share concerns from the League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region (UMRR) and League of Women Voters of Minnesota, on two proposed laws: the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act (PERMIT Act) and the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED Act). UMRR represents more than sixty local Leagues throughout the five states of the Upper Mississippi Basin – Minnesota (MN), Wisconsin (WI), Iowa (IA), Illinois (IL), and Missouri (MO). We work through education and advocacy to ensure sound policies that protect water quality and quantity in the Mississippi River Basin. Both the PERMIT Act and the SPEED Act are currently being considered in the Senate and could generate sweeping changes to long-standing federal environmental protections, particularly under the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. These laws have served for decades as foundational safeguards protecting water quality, ecosystems, public health, and democratic participation in environmental decision-making. Our concerns are as follows: PERMIT Act The PERMIT Act was developed to streamline infrastructure and energy projects by accelerating environmental reviews under the Clean Water Act (CWA), and reducing red tape for construction, agriculture, and energy projects by shortening review timelines. This includes:
The PERMIT Act’s proposed narrowing of protected waters and extension of permit durations would significantly weaken federal oversight of discharges and dredge-and-fill activities. This poses heightened risks to Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, wetlands, and groundwater systems, which are central to the state’s economy, outdoor heritage, and drinking water supply. Reduced EPA authority and shortened timelines for legal challenges would limit accountability and public recourse, potentially allowing harmful projects to proceed without adequate review. Of particular concern is the reduced liability for contaminants such as PFAS, which are persistent chemicals linked to serious health and environmental harms. SPEED Act: The SPEED Act proposes actions to streamline review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for projects and permitting of federal infrastructure and energy projects. The changes include:
Together, the PERMIT and the SPEED Acts could accelerate fossil fuel infrastructure development while weakening environmental safeguards designed to prevent pollution, protect water resources, and ensure informed public participation. For the Upper Mississippi River Region—home to extensive freshwater systems, Tribal treaty-protected resources, and climate-vulnerable ecosystems—the implications are particularly serious. Given the scale of the proposed regulatory changes and their potential to affect water quality, public health, climate stability, and community oversight nationwide, these issues warrant careful scrutiny and deliberate consideration by the Senate. We urge you to oppose the passage of PERMIT and SPEED Acts to prevent the potentially disastrous outcomes to the environment and climate change. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, have been dubbed emerging contaminants of concern in the Mississippi River Basin and beyond. These synthetic chemicals have been widely used in everyday products such as nonstick pans and waterproof fabrics since the 1950s. They’ve also been a key ingredient in industrial applications such as firefighting foam. Today, Wisconsin is passing legislation to address them. PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to the bond between their carbon and fluorine atoms. While this strength may help repel water, grease, and oil from our goods, it also makes it difficult to remove PFAS from our bodies. This poses a high health risk as studies show links between contamination and cancer, fertility issues, development delays, and more. In Wisconsin, bills addressing PFAS have been under debate for years. The state is one of several in the Upper Mississippi River Region facing a widespread presence of the chemicals. In 2019 Starkweather Creek, a Madison waterbody near the Dane County Regional Airport and Truax Field Air National Guard Base, had the highest levels of PFOA (43 ppt) and PFOS (270 ppt) out of all Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tested waters. In 2023, a survey found that 71% of shallow private wells across Wisconsin contained PFAS.
cause it or were in compliance with a prior permit and are willing to allow the DNR to perform remediation at their expense.
Assembly Bill 131 creates several new PFAS grant programs, including funds for municipal water supply testing, well reconstruction, treatment technology, emergency bottled drinking water, and more. Notably, the bill also seeks to finance long-term studies, including one to “analyze the migration of PFAS into the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers and their tributaries”. The bipartisan legislation is set to be signed by Governor Evers in the coming weeks. He celebrated the state’s success in a recent press release, saying “I’ve always believed that every Wisconsinite should have access to clean drinking water that’s free of harmful pollutants, which is why I’ve spent seven years working to clean up our water and get contaminants out of our water supplies for good, including PFAS, which has been a top priority for my administration from the get-go. Today is the culmination of years of work by my administration and marks a historic win for the people of Wisconsin and the health and safety of our kids, families, and communities. It’s a great day for Wisconsin.” Comments on the PERMIT Act While winter weather might have frozen the flowing waters of the Mississippi River, it didn’t stop the movement of legislation that once again centers on the Clean Water Act (CWA). On December 11, 2025 the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3898, or the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act. Chief author, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), asserts that if passed by the Senate, the PERMIT bill would “deliver much-needed reform to the Clean Water Act that will overhaul permitting processes and reduce burdens on permit seekers,” allowing the U.S. to “build faster, smarter, and safer”. But will the bill roll back red tape, or crucial regulations that safeguard our water? Learn more below. What’s at risk in the Upper Mississippi River Region? The PERMIT Act could impact waters across the United States, and the Upper Mississippi River Region is no exception. Our 1,300 miles of water connect states, ecosystems, and livelihoods, and they deserve to be protected. As the Mississippi River faces increasingly frequent and severe floods that move pollutants and cause damages to drinking water supplies and native habitats, strong regulation and sustainable infrastructure is more important than ever.
3. Reducing permits requirements regarding stormwater runoff, potentially containing animal waste, nutrients, and pesticides, from agricultural lands into waterways (Sec.10. and Sec. 11.) 4. Limiting treatment technology options to those already widely used “at scale” in the United States (Sec 4.) II. Redistributing state and tribal power 1. Allowing the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to strike a waterbody from the list of navigable waters based on the court decision in Sackett (Sec 20). The Clean Water Act did not address groundwater; this bill would clarify that groundwater is not included in the CWA protections. 2. Narrowing state's abilities to impose protections based on "any water quality requirement in such state" to only limited federal standards (Sec 5) 3. Narrowing environmental review timelines and scope (Sec 5) - Shortening timeline to complete environmental reviews before forfeiture - Limiting state consideration of proposed pipelines, dams and other large-scale development projects to only include "direct discharges" from specific permits vs cumulative watershed impacts - Shifting enforcement requirements from states to federal permitting agencies (Sec. 5) How can I take action? From Minneapolis to Cairo, we all value clean water. If you feel the PERMIT Act leaves that up to chance, please contact your senators and urge them to oppose it. You can use text from the letter below to get you started. This bill has passed in the House; it can only be stopped in the Senate. Now is the time to Take Action! Sample Letter Opposing the PERMIT Act (H.R. 3898) Subject: URGENT: Oppose the "PERMIT Act" (H.R. 3898) - Protect Our Water Dear Senator [Senator's Name], I am a constituent in the (state and zipcode) I am writing you today to express my strong opposition to the PERMIT Act (HB 3898), now coming before the Senate. The PERMIT Acts threatens the water quality of the Upper Mississippi River Region, and we urge you to vote against H.B. 3898. The intent of the Clean Water Act is to govern water pollution. Its main purpose is to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters”. This involves setting water quality standards and regulating the discharge of pollutants into the U.S. waters. While the PERMIT Act aims to streamline regulations, its potential impact on the future of freshwater resources in the Upper Mississippi River region and across the United States remains a serious concern. H.R. 3898 would weaken crucial clean water protections including:
Congress should be focused on putting people before polluters and working to ensure everyone has access to clean water. Numerous provisions of the PERMIT Act shield industrial dischargers who pollute or destroy our streams, lakes, wetlands, and other waters from responsibility and accountability, thereby forcing our communities to shoulder the financial and public health burden of increased pollution and flooding. It allows industrial polluters to discharge forever chemicals into waters without informing pollution control officials. It prevents states and Tribes from acting to prevent harm to their critical water bodies from projects such as oil and gas pipelines. The PERMIT ACT would weaken crucial clean water protections that maintain public health and welfare. Changes to the Clean Water Act will reverse decades of progress in clean water protections, jeopardize safe drinking water and harm important ecosystems. Join the sentiments of the majority of Americans that value clean water protections and vote against this bill! Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address/Contact Information] Iowa is full of stories, including those of rural life, agriculture, and polluted surface waters – and no one tells them quite like Pulitzer Prize winner Art Cullen. LWV UMRR was very proud to have Art for a Zoom conversation with this Iowan on his new book “Marty, We Crapped in Our Own Nest: Notes from the Edge of the World” on March 14th, 2026.
This was a great discussion - watch the video on the LWV UMRR YouTube channel - click above! We also have a podcast with Art - just 5 minutes long! Click below for the podcast
On November 15, the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed new rules clarifying the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). These proposed rules are based on the altered definition of the Clean Water Act in the US Supreme Court's 2023 Sackett decision. Here, the Supreme Court found EPA's working definition of Waters of the US to be too broad, too vague, and that it exceeded the authority granted by the Clean Water Act (CWA) concerning the traditional balance between federal and state power over private property. The proposed rules would significantly limit federal jurisdiction over wetlands and ephemeral streams, leaving these water bodies unprotected in states where there is not also state wetland regulation that would cover them. Comments are due to US EPA by January 5.
THE PROPOSED RULE WAS ANNOUNCED at 1pm ET 11/17/25. Public comments are now being accepted here. The deadline for those comments is January 5, 2026. New Guidance for Comment Periods Under Trump Administration During this comment period, it is critical that each group and individual provide its own unique comment tailored to the individual situation. The Trump administration is now flagging and discarding comments that appear too similar or duplicative, so the more personalized you and your organization can make your comment, the better. Key principles for written and verbal testimony:
On December 22, LWV UMRR held a webinar to share our comments. You can watch the 45-mnute recorded video by clicking the button below.
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