A new Minnesota Water Resources Conference feature for 2026 is interactive exhibits from Water Bar and Sacred Water Shared Future.
Water Bar
Hosted by the University of Minnesota Water Resources Students in Action (WRSIA) student club, Water Bar provides a unique opportunity to discover where your drinking water comes from. Sample water from a variety of sources. Can you taste the difference?
Stop by Exhibitor table #34 to test your taste buds and your knowledge with fun water trivia.
Sacred Water Shared Future
A century ago, the Mississippi River was in crisis. 1926, the first comprehensive water quality survey of the river found an ecosystem on the brink of collapse. Decades of rapid industrialization and population growth had turned the river into what many described as an open sewer. Untreated sewage, industrial waste, sawdust from mills, and waste from meatpacking plants flowed directly into the water. Lock and dam construction slowed the river's flow, trapping pollution and creating floating mats of sewage and the smell of methane gas. Oxygen levels were so low that aquatic life could barely survive, and scientists conducting the 1926 survey found only three living fish in the river between Minneapolis and Hastings.
Today, that same river tells a very different story.
The Mississippi now supports a thriving ecosystem that includes 120 species of fish, along with eagles, beavers, otters, great blue herons, and countless other species. The river is a source of recreation, economic activity, and cultural connection for communities across Minnesota. This remarkable transformation is the result of generations of investment, innovation, and stewardship — from the construction of the region's first wastewater treatment facilities in the 1930s to the creation of modern water quality standards, monitoring programs, and pollution prevention efforts. The Mississippi's recovery is one of the great environmental comeback stories in Minnesota history.
Glenn Skuta, watershed division director at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), described the river’s recovery as transformational. “The Mississippi River’s recovery from being a nearly dead river is like the bald eagle coming back from the brink of extinction,” he said. “When we made changes to the chemicals and products we use, the way we treat the land, and what we allow to be discharged into the river, we gave the river and the many forms of life that depend on it the chance to not just survive but to thrive.”
Explore river science and history through exhibits on display at the conference
The MPCA created a suite of water-focused exhibits for the Minnesota State Fair’s Eco Experience to celebrate 100 years of river recovery since the landmark 1926 survey found a dead ecosystem in the Mississippi River. These interactive displays invite visitors to learn about river science, history, and stories, and the ongoing work that needs to be done to protect and improve the river for future generations, and will connect with plenary talks and special sessions to continue the conversation.
The exhibits on display at the conference include: an interactive map detailing water quality in the river from its headwaters to the state line; puppets representing several animals that call the river home and serve as indicators that the river has made a comeback; and a listening station featuring the story of Tara Perron, an Ojibwe and Dakota woman whose family has lived along the Mississippi River for many generations.
The exhibits are part of a larger initiative dedicated to the health of the Mississippi River. The Sacred Water, Shared Future campaign was launched by a coalition of organizations in the Twin Cities to celebrate a century of progress and inspire continued action to care for the river. Sacred Water, Shared Future honors the Mississippi River’s deep cultural significance, including Indigenous perspectives that recognize the river as sacred and emphasize our shared responsibility to protect it. Events celebrating this milestone in the river’s history will continue throughout 2026.
“Our connection to the river is deep, but this history of ecological degradation and recovery is not well known by twin cities residents,” said Casandra Champion, Metropolitan Council Principal Environmental Scientist and Project Manager for the Sacred Water Shared Future campaign. “People think the river is dirtier now than it has ever been, but that is not true. Sacred Water Shared Future shares this story as an inspiration to the region to embrace our commitment to the Mississippi River and the next 100 years of restoration and protection work.”
While the exhibit celebrates how far the river has come, it also looks ahead. New challenges, including stormwater runoff, PFAS, microplastics, and climate change, remind us that river restoration is not a finished project. Protecting the Mississippi River for the next 100 years requires continued commitment from all of us.