The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is extending the comment period by 15 days for each of the first four counties in the DNR Public Waters Inventory Update Project.
The new comment deadlines are as follows:
- March 6, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.: Clay County
- March 8, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.: Blue Earth County
- March 12, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.: Benton County
- March 14, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.: Aitkin County
Details are available on the DNR Public Waters Inventory Update Project webpage, under the Public Input Opportunities tab.
In 2024, the DNR launched an eight-year effort to update the Public Waters Inventory (PWI) — a helpful tool for identifying lakes, wetlands, and streams that meet Minnesota’s legal definition of public waters. This project, referred to as the PWI Update, was initiated following a 2024 statute revision clarifying that public waters are defined by law, not by whether they appear on the PWI. Although the statutory definition of public waters was not changed, there was concern the existing PWI, originally developed without the benefit of modern analytical tools, both includes waters that do not meet the statutory definition and omits waters that do meet the definition. As a result, the DNR is working to update the inventory by 2032 to ensure it accurately reflects current legal definitions.
The project is proceeding county-by-county, with the goal of completing an average of 12 counties a year.
More information and a link to sign up for project updates are available on the Public Waters Inventory Update Project webpage.