Latest news with #MinnesotaPollutionControlAgency
CBS News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Toxic blue-green algae blooms are sprouting up in Minnesota lakes, closing some beaches
A number of Minnesota cities have reported blue-green algae blooms this summer, causing the temporary closing of some beaches. Blue-green algae is bacteria that can be toxic for both humans and pets. "We have a lot packed into this park so on a typical summer day it's busy from one end to the other," said Amy Markle, Parks and Recreation Director for Eden Prairie. For about a week and a half, Riley Lake Beach in Eden Prairie was shut down after the detection of blue-green algae. Water samples confirmed that the bright green bloom with blue streaks, which looked like spilled paint, contained harmful toxins. "The tricky thing with blue-green algae is sometimes, when the bacteria break down, that's actually when the toxins can be released," said Markle. If ingested, the bacteria can cause vomiting, diarrhea, rash and headache. Blooms have been found earlier than normal this year, due to early ice-outs on many lakes. Algae blooms are fueled by two things: an abundance of nutrients in a lake and rapidly warming water temperatures. "Think about a garden, and you need sunlight and water and nutrients in a garden. And you are going to have a great, beautiful garden. Well, algae is a lot of the same way," Kim Laing, with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, said. Laing said the only real preventative measure is to keep nitrogen and phosphorus from getting into lakes and ponds. "Whether it's vegetative buffers, or other avenues, try and keep those nutrients on the land and out of the water," said Laing. As for Riley Lake Beach, it re-opened after 10 days. Swimming has returned, but with hot days ahead, they'll continue to keep a close eye on the water. "It's kind of the perfect recipe for it, so our lifeguard team is watchful. They do a visual inspection in the morning to see if there is any present before we open the beach up for swimming," said Markle. The Environmental Protection Agency has information on its website on how you can detect and report an algae bloom, if you see one in your area.
CBS News
12-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Wildfire smoke extends air quality alert until Thursday night for southern Minnesota
NEXT Weather: Noon report for Minnesota from June 12, 2025 NEXT Weather: Noon report for Minnesota from June 12, 2025 NEXT Weather: Noon report for Minnesota from June 12, 2025 by Abby Madsen An air quality alert for central and southern Minnesota continues from Wednesday into Thursday until 11 p.m. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the area under the alert starts around Alexandria, Brainerd and Hinckley and extends south. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has been moving into Minnesota behind a cold front, impacting air quality, making it unhealthy for sensitive groups. The alert for northern Minnesota has been canceled. Rain is expected throughout Minnesota Thursday, with the possibility of reducing the smoke levels in the Twin Cities area. Ground-level smoke is expected to linger throughout Thursday and potentially into Friday and Saturday, with cleaner air moving into northern Minnesota starting Friday. For sensitive groups, the air and pollution may affect anyone with cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. Symptoms may include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing or fatigue. Reducing outdoor physical activities and taking more breaks are a few ways to prevent these symptoms. Wildfires are also still affecting northern Minnesota; The Jenkins Creek Fire, north of Duluth, Minnesota, which began on May 12, is 94% contained on Thursday. Crews are continuing to work along Bundle Lake Road with drone units looking for any hotspots in the interior of the fire. For the past three days, there hasn't been smoke or heat located in the interior. With a chance of storms moving into Minnesota Friday, they may pass over the fire area, relieving some of the vegetation.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Air quality alert issued for central, southern MN for wildfire smoke from Canada
The Brief The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for wide swaths of central and southern Minnesota due to wildfire smoke from Canada. The alert runs through 11 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, putting the air quality index in the orange category – meaning it will be unhealthy for sensitive groups. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for a wide range of central and southern Minnesota due to the continuing wildfires in Canada. What we know The MPCA warns that smoke from wildfires in northwest Canada have moved into central and southern Minnesota behind a cold front, while fine particle levels have climbed to unhealthy levels for sensitive groups. The affected areas include: Twin Cities metro area Brainerd Alexandria Albert Lea Marshall Worthington Hinckley St. Cloud Ortonville Mankato Moorhead Duluth The Tribal Nations of Upper Sioux, Mille Lacs, Prairie Island, Leech Lake, and Fond du Lac. What to expect Minnesotans can expect to see a hazy sky, and smell smoke in the air, MPCA says. For sensitive groups, like people with asthma, COPD, heart disease, children, older adults and pregnant people, being outside during the alert could impact their health. What you can do The MPCA is urging people to reduce activities that contribute to poor air quality, like fires, reducing vehicle trips and vehicle idling as much as possible. To keep up to date on current air quality conditions, click here. The Source A press release from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Chalkfest Maple Grove goes on amid air quality alert
The Brief The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued a statewide air quality alert over the weekend. People with underlying health conditions are most likely to be impacted by the smoke. The air quality alert expires at 11 p.m. on Sunday. MAPLE GROVE, Minn. (FOX 9) - On a day when dense smoke threatened to overshadow a warm weekend in the north metro, vibrant street chalk art managed to bring things back to life in Maple Grove. "I love events like this, seeing people happy and having a good time," visitor Suellen Rehor told FOX 9. What we know On Saturday and Sunday, more than 25,000 people were expected at Chalkfest. "Everyone's really happy to be here," artist Madelyn Hohler said. The crowd marveled at the work of dozens of artists, some of whom travelled from as far as Ukraine, Turkey, and Colombia. However, Mother Nature did not treat them as kindly. "I need a Kleenex because my allergies are kind of bugging me," Hohler said. What they're saying The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued a statewide air quality alert over the weekend, as more smoke from wildfires in Canada travels to Minnesota. People with underlying health conditions are most at risk; but on Sunday, the air didn't keep people away from having a good time. "We were a bit concerned," Maple Grove Business Association executive director Kira Johnson said. "We're paying close attention to it, and then we just hope people will do what's best for them healthwise; maybe wear a mask, or not come out if it's going to be an issue for them." The air quality alert expires at 11 p.m. Then, on Monday, June 9, an additional day of viewing is planned.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Iowa exits statewide air quality alert
Smoke from Canadian wildfires worsened air quality in the eastern U.S. on Wednesday as several Midwestern states battled conditions deemed unhealthy by the federal government. The fires have forced thousands of Canadians to flee their homes and sent smoke as far as Europe. Iowa issued a statewide air quality alert through early Thursday, urging residents to limit certain outdoor activities and warning of possible health effects due to the thick smoke. Wisconsin officials made similar suggestions as the smoke drifted southeast across the state. In the U.S., smoke lingered on the skylines of cities from Kansas City to Minneapolis, and a swath of the region had unhealthy air quality Wednesday, according to an Environmental Protection Agency map. In Stoughton, Wisconsin, Nature's Garden Preschool was keeping its kids indoors Wednesday due to the bad air quality, which interferes with the daily routine, said assistant teacher Bailey Pollard. The smoke looked like a coming storm, he said. The 16 or 17 kids ages 12 weeks to 5 years old would typically be outdoors running or playing with water, balls and slides, but were instead inside doing crafts with Play-Doh or coloring. The situation was unfortunate because kids need to be outside and have fresh air and free play, Pollard said. 'It's something where we've got to take precaution for the kids,' he said. 'Nobody wants to stay inside all day.' In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, authorities advised people shut windows at night, avoid strenuous activity outside and watch for breathing issues. Parts of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York had areas of moderate air quality concern, and officials advised sensitive people to consider reducing outdoor activity. Unhealthy conditions persist in Midwest The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an alert for almost the entire state into Wednesday, but the Twin Cities area got the region's worst of it Tuesday. Children's Minnesota, a network of pediatric clinics and hospitals in the Twin Cities area, has seen a 'modest increase' increase this week in patients with symptoms that doctors attributee to polluted air, Dr. Chase Shutak said. Their symptoms have included breathing problems, including asthma and other upper respiratory issues, said Shutak, who stays in close touch with other pediatricians in his role as medical director of the Minneapolis primary care clinic at Children's. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources warned that air quality in a band from the state's southwest corner to the northeast could fall into the unhealthy category through Thursday morning. The agency recommended that people — especially those with heart and lung disease — avoid long or intense activities and to take extra breaks during strenuous activity outdoors. Conditions at ground level are in the red The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow map showed a swath of red for 'unhealthy' conditions across Wisconsin and northern Iowa. Conditions in northern Michigan also reflected many unhealthy zones. The Air Quality Index was around 160 in many parts of the upper Midwest, indicating poor conditions. The Air Quality Index , or AQI, measures how clean or polluted the air is, indicating which health effects might be experienced within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. It is based on ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. Particulates are the main issue from the fires. The index ranges from green, indicating satisfactory air quality that poses little or no risk, to maroon, which is considered hazardous. That level comes with health warnings of emergency conditions, which are more likely to affect everyone. There were areas of reduced air quality all over the U.S. on Wednesday, with numerous advisories about moderate air quality concerns as far from the fires as Kansas and Georgia. The air quality was considerably better Wednesday in Minnesota, where only the barest hint of haze obscured the downtown Minneapolis skyline. The city experienced some of the worst air in the country on Tuesday. But the air quality index, which had reached the mid-200 range, or 'very unhealthy' on Tuesday, was down to 60, or 'moderate,' by Wednesday afternoon. The Canadian fire situation even reaches Europe Canada is having another bad wildfire season. Most of the smoke reaching the American Midwest has been coming from fires northwest of the provincial capital of Winnipeg in Manitoba. Canada's worst-ever wildfire season was in 2023 and choked much of North America with dangerous smoke for months. The smoke over western Europe is expected to keep moving eastward, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. It's causing hazy skies, but not expected to affect surface-air quality. However, it could rise high enough to be carried that far, indicating the immense size and intensity of the fires, according to Copernicus. Whittle reported from Portland. Karnowski reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writers Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Tammy Webber in Fenton, Michigan; and Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
