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Where Buffers Matter Most <br />Ground Water Contamination Susceptibility <br />in Minnesota <br />Minnesota Relkrrbn Cordial Agency <br />19139 <br />Map E xp}aealen <br />▪ ! I.gh nil Su ice <br />❑ Moderate Susceiplbihty <br />• Lowest Susce9116 6y <br />▪ InidIK.in1 Pili In Renk <br />▪ Lakes.Rnars, Streams. <br />0 10 40 60 60 0,04 <br />Where buffers matter most for groundwater protection <br />What else do we know? We know the type of geology we have in Minnesota and which <br />areas are more or less susceptible to groundwater contamination. We know that we are <br />pumping more water out of our aquifers in more locations. We know that water seeks its <br />lowest level. So if we know that our land use choices are already impairing our surface <br />waters downstream in so many watersheds in the state, and we know that it only took <br />about two generations to create most of these impairments and if we remove more water <br />from our aquifers and we have created about 100,000 new chemicals to make life better <br />and most get away from us after we use them and end up in the water. What is the <br />prognosis for the health of our aquifers when we no longer have very many buffers left to <br />clean up the water before is soaks in and percolates into our drinking water supplies? Is it <br />past time to get started on getting buffers back on the landscape in the most important <br />places? I think the answer should be obvious. <br />6 <br />