Whitewater River fish kill: State agencies feign helplessness

Just before Christmas, Minnesota state agencies issued an alarming report about an agricultural watershed in trouble. But instead of analysis and recommendations to protect the watershed, the agencies took a reticent approach (“Major fish kill to remain a mystery,” Dec. 23).

The 367-page report of the fish kill investigation in the South Branch of the Whitewater River has a familiar theme: Move along, nothing to see here. The unified response from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency details the five-month investigation but does not identify the cause or those responsible. Families who use groundwater as a source for drinking, as well as anglers and others who use the Whitewater for recreation are wondering why our state agencies take such a passive approach. Why won’t they tell us about the risks to our health and the environment?

http://www.startribune.com/whitewater-river-fish-kill-state-agencies-feign-helplessness/363960191/