The Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC) will submit a formal response to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) regarding the petition for rulemaking filed on August 28, 2025. The petition seeks to classify public drainage systems as “State Disposal Systems” (SDS) requiring MPCA permits under Chapter 115 of Minnesota Statutes.

ADMC’s response emphasizes that agricultural drainage is clearly governed under Minnesota Statute Chapter 103E, which designates local drainage authorities—counties and watershed districts—to oversee drainage systems. Chapter 115, which regulates sewage and industrial wastewater, has never applied to agricultural drainage, and doing so would conflict with decades of legal precedent and legislative intent.