In this episode of Unboxed: The SRF Podcast, host Nick Busse sits down with Cassie Champion (Metropolitan Council) and Abby Moore (Mississippi Watershed Management Organization) to discuss Sacred Water Shared Future. This regional campaign commemorates a century of restoration efforts on the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities.

In 1926, the river was so polluted that a survey found only three living fish in a 42-mile stretch. Today, we explore the engineering marvels, public policy shifts, and community stories that transformed an "ecological disaster" back into a thriving resource.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The harrowing state of the river in the 1920s and 30s.
• The construction of the Metro Water Resource Recovery Facility, the first treatment plant on the Mississippi.
• Modern challenges like microplastics, phosphorus, and chloride.
• How a bass drum auctioned by the band Semisonic helped kickstart the campaign’s branding.

Learn more and share your story: Visit Sacred Water Shared Future to find local events or contribute to the Minnesota Story Collective.

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