There have been far too many articles in papers lately about pets and people sickened from toxic algae blooms and other results of streams and lakes being polluted by agricultural and urban runoff.
Cities like Des Moines, Iowa, are spending millions trying to purify water containing toxic nitrate levels due to agricultural runoff. No one wants higher taxes, but water is essential for life and must be clean.
Protecting water's source is one way to keep our water safe for drinking, fishing and swimming. The new Clean Water Rule issued by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers now reinstates Clean Water Act protections for the sources of drinking water for one in every five Minnesota residents.
How can anyone reasonably argue that this is not a good rule to have in place?
Ruthann Yaeger
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Rochester
