If you live or work in St. Cloud, St. Paul, Minneapolis or a number of surrounding communities, the water you drink comes from the Mississippi River. Yet, how often does that thought cross your mind as you drive over or boat on the river, or as you watch a snow plow apply salt to roads and bridges?

Learn more about the river's role as a primary drinking water source and how to protect that use into the future in this free National Park Service presentation by Art Persons, Planning Program Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Health.

Mr. Persons will discuss how three communities are responding to the need to protect the Mississippi River as a source of drinking water for one million Minnesotans. He will also describe current work to integrate the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, bringing the Health Department and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency together on the Upper Mississippi River Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load Project, to protect and improve water quality of the Mississippi River.

This presentation is free and a light breakfast will provided. To RSVP, or for more information, please contact Lark Weller at the National Park Service at 651-290-3030 x304, lark_weller[at]nps.gov.

Transit and parking information are available at
http://www.mcknight.org/about/offices.aspx.