Groundwater: Critical and Vulnerable LWV UMRR Webinar - April 3 Video here

Groundwater and surface water in the Driftless Area are inextricably linked, and what happens on the land affects both.  LWV UMRR presented a webinar on April 3 via Zoom. Click here to see the video of this webinar.      If you'd like to follow up with the speakers: Jeff Broberg ([email protected]), Paul Wotzka ([email protected]), and Larry Stone ([email protected]) will all be happy to email with you. And you can always reach LWV Upper Mississippi River Region at [email protected].

Our speakers are ardent and knowledgeable people who know hydrology and are passionate about the rugged terrain and wild waters of the Driftless area.  The video starts with the basics - how groundwater works, interconnections to surface water, land use impacts and drinking water impairment.   Jeff Broberg led us through this with humor and grace.  Jeff's home in rural Winona doesn't have a safe water supply, so he has a personal stake in the water quality of the area.  

Next our speakers addressed two examples of watersheds - one in Minnesota and one in Iowa. The WinLac watershed in Minnesota surrounds the cities of Winona and La Crescent, along the Mississippi.  The uplands of this watershed are in the Karst bluffs and land use has heavily impacted drinking water quality.    Paul Wotzka described the impacts we see in this small watershed, including the impacts of row crop and animal agriculture.  When land use changes, water quality improves.  How does that work?  Paul explained how his land practices have improved the water at his home.  

The second watershed we looked at is Bloody Run in northeastern Iowa - read more about Bloody Run at this link.  Larry Stone is part of the Save Bloody Run movement, and he provided an update on where this case is in the courts and on the ground.   The webinar wrapped up with a lively question and answer session led by LWV UMRR Chair Mary Ellen Miller.  

Many thanks to our speakers for this excellent program!  

News articles for deeper background: :  
https://www.startribune.com/anderson-se-minnesota-farmer-thirsts-for-safe-water/225660001/  

https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/01/17/agriculture-pollutes-underground-drinking-water-in-minnesota-well-owners-pay-the-price/

https://www.iowapublicradio.org/environment/2021-07-01/the-battle-over-bloody-run-creek
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OUR SPEAKERS:  

                          (Video credits to MN Department of Agriculture)

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Jeff Broberg: ​Jeff Broberg is a Minnesota Licensed Professional Geologist who grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota in 1977. He retired from corporate life as an Environmental Consultant in 2017 when he returned to college to earn a Masters Degree in Philanthropy and Development from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona. He served on the Legislative Citizen Commission of Minnesota Resources for ten years, has been the President of the Minnesota Trout Association, the National Trout Center in Preston, MN and serves as a Director for Fresh Energy. Jeff currently runs the Minnesota Well Owners Organization (MNWOO), a non-profit serving the interests of people who rely on private wells for their drinking water.

Paul Wotzka: Paul WotzkaPaul is a founder and a MNWOO Board Member representing the Groundwater Province 3. Paul is a professional Hydrologist with over 30 years’ experience in government and consulting in watershed management. Paul grows the best organic garlic you will ever eat.

Larry Stone - Photographer, Naturalist, Explorer, Writer:  Larry Stone's passion for Iowa's outdoors took root in the creeks and woods on the southern Iowa farm where he grew up.  He has explored the state for more than 50 years, including 25 years as an outdoor writer/photographer for the Des Moines Register.  He has written five books, and his work has appeared in a number of conservation magazines.  He is a member of the Clayton County Conservation Board.  Now semi-retired, Larry still roams Iowa doing occasional freelance writing, photography and public speaking.