The state will monitor water quality from more than 50 sites along the Mississippi River in Minnesota this year in an effort to get a broader picture of the health of the waterway.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced on Monday that water as well as aquatic life samples at locations from Bemidji to the Iowa border will be analyzed to provide data the 650-mile length of the river in the state. Previously, the state gathered data from designate spots along the waterway but never the entire length during a year.

“Water monitoring is critical to clean water. By monitoring our lakes and rivers, we are supporting safe drinking water, enjoyable recreation, tourism, and Minnesota’s strong economy,” MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler said in a statement. “Our work protecting the Mighty Mississippi from its headwaters here in Minnesota is critical to maintaining a healthy river downstream, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.”

The announcement was made Monday in recognition of Earth Day at an event along the river in St. Paul attended by leaders from the MPCA, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and the Metropolitan Council.

Information from the monitoring efforts will be used to direct funding and other resources for clean-up and quality improvements, according to the state.

Key points on the water monitoring announcement included:

• Monitoring helps the MPCA to find and and deal with emerging pollution issues before they turn into bigger problems. This year, for the first time. the state also will screen water samples from the Mississippi for per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) presence. The hope is it will allow the state to identify and stop contamination of so-called “forever chemicals” in the river.

• Samples are collected to measure things such as temperature, transparency, and the levels of pollutants such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and ammonia. Also, the state uses electrofishing to collect fish, measure them, note abnormalities, and then release them back into the river. The agency also gathers insects from river areas — among them, bottom sediment and stream banks — for lab evaluations.

• The monitoring of the Mississippi is paid for with funds from Minnesota’s Clean Water Fund. The fund was created in 2008 when Minnesota voters approved the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, which was paid for through an increased sales tax through 2034. Clean Water Fund money also goes for watershed studies and restoration projects.

• Those interested in taking part can join the Volunteer Water Monitoring program. For more than 50 years, volunteers have collected water clarity information from their local bodies of water that are submitted to the state to be used for decisions about watershed protection and restoration.

For more information and to take part in the program visit pca.state.mn.us/get-engaged/volunteer-water-monitoring.

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