Nitrate taints St. Peter groundwater

A  Minnesota Public Radio report this week looked at the complicated – and costly – process the City of St. Peter uses to remove nitrate from city water. The nitrate mostly comes from fertilizers applied by farmers. The radio report says the water would be cleaner if farmers planted more alfalfa and less corn and soybeans. Read the MPR report. Read a recent Minnesota Department of Agriculture draft of a nitrogen fertilizer management plan.