Gov. Mark Dayton convened a first-ever water summit Saturday, as a standing room only crowd packed a ballroom in downton St. Paul.
Hundreds of legislators, lobbyists and activists were set to discuss issues like balancing rural development with water quality, acquatic invasive species, water in the urban environment and other topics, as well as a discussion hosted by Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and business leaders about water and corporate responsibility.
Dayton kicked off the conference with remarks in which he did not propose new initiatives, but instead called for an ethic of responsibility to protect a safe water future.
The DFL governor was interrupted by a group of demonstrators who took the stage with a megaphone, protesting the development of oil pipelines through Tribal lands.
Dayton said later decisions about permitting pipelines are in the hands of the Public Utility Commission, not his office.
The conference was birthed in troubling recent news about water quality. A government report last year showed half the lakes and streams in southern Minnesota are not safe for swimming or fishing, thought to be the result of intensive agricultural practices.
Attendees also invoked Flint, Mich., as a cautionary tale. The city's residents have suffered heightened exposure to lead and other contaminants dangerous to human health in recent years because of poor water management practices.
