Leading the charge for clean water: CFANS' commitment to Minnesota’s water future

Photo of Gooseberry Falls by Sharon Mollerus via flickr.

The United Nation's annual World Water Day highlights the critical need to address water challenges, and in Minnesota, science-based water research is essential to protecting and preserving the state’s valuable water resources. The University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) is a key leader in this effort, with faculty and centers actively engaged in innovative research to safeguard Minnesota’s water for future generations. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and cutting-edge initiatives, CFANS is driving solutions to ensure clean, sustainable water for both human and ecological needs.

• As part of the interdisciplinary University of Minnesota Water Council, CFANS faculty members Mae Davenport and Diana Karwan contributed to a scope, timeline, and budget to create a Clean Water Plan for Minnesota to proactively protect, restore, and conserve water in Minnesota for human and ecological values and uses for the next 50 years.
• The Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) is dedicated to fighting the spread and impact of aquatic invasive species on Minnesota’s beloved lakes and rivers. The center's mission is to develop research-based solutions that can reduce the impacts of aquatic invasive species in Minnesota by preventing spread, controlling populations, and managing ecosystems; and to advance knowledge to inspire action by others.
• The Water Resources Center (WRC) is driven to address current and emerging water challenges through collaborative research, education, and engagement in Minnesota and beyond. The WRC provides leadership in freshwater management through cutting-edge research, educational opportunities for students and professionals, and community outreach. Authorized by Congress as one of the nation’s 54 water resources research institutes, they connect the research expertise at the University of Minnesota to research problems at the national level.
• The Precision Agriculture Center is bringing an information revolution in agriculture based on new technologies. Precise spatial and temporal management of inputs can be used to increase farm productivity, profitability, sustainability, environmental protection, food safety, and quality of life. This work can save millions of dollars in annual fertilizer costs for Minnesota corn crops alone. It can also improve water quality throughout the state and the Mississippi River ecosystem by reducing runoff of excess fertilizer.
• GEMS Informatics, an agri-food informatics initiative, is developing farm practices that improve lake quality. GEMS works closely with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program to anchor farmers' Best Management Practices to real science. The state's program has implemented over 2,900 new on-farm conservation practices across the state.