Minnesota River Interviews - Brand Frentz and Joe Michel

"When we were kids there was very little tiling ... and the water would come up in the spring slowly and recede slowly.  And now it’s up and down like a yo-yo -- the runoff is so much quicker."

Video Text:
Joe Michel: "In the [Minnesota River] when we were kids there was very little tiling and that started after World War II also and anyway the water would come up in the spring slowly and recede slowly.  And now it’s up and down like a yo-yo the runoff is so much quicker.  When I first started canoeing as a young boy, the river would come up in the spring and it would recede, usually by the time the end of June came it would recede back to its banks, and now due to the runoff from the tiling its up and down like a yo-yo. I always say in several days it will fluctuate quite a bit and you didn’t get that back then."