>> IT'S 80 POUNDS.

>> WHAT IS IT?

>> 80.

>> ALL RIGHT.

>> HI.

LOVELY, LOVELY, LOVELY.

>> HOLD IT STEADY.

>> AMY MIDDLETONETON IS A TWIN CITIES-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST.

FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, SHE'S BEEN WORKING ON CLEANING UP THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

>> ARE YOU READY?

>> YEP.

>> HERE WE GO.

>> THE TOOLS OF AMY'S TRADE ARE A CANOE, HER EYES AND HER BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW.

>> EVERY CITIZEN IN THE STATE OR COUNTRY HAS INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THAT PIPE GOING INTO THEIR RIVER OR BACKYARD CONTAINS AND THAT'S ALL AVAILABLE AT THE STATE, THROUGH THE POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY, AND NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT.

BUT IT'S VERY EMPOWERING INFORMATION TO HAVE.

>> LIKE A STREET RUNOFF, STORM RUNOFF.

>> LET'S CHECK THIS OUT.

LOOKS PRETTY GROSS THOUGH.

OOPS.

CAN YOU HOLD THE CANOE?

I'M GOING TO WRITE DOWN WHERE WE'RE AT HERE.

>> NOT RUNNING VERY HARD RIGHT NOW.

>> NO, HASN'T RAINED IN A WHILE.

>> UNDER THE CLEAN WATER ACT OF 1972, CITIZENS LIKE AMY ARE ALLOWED TO SUE POLLUTERS.

WORKING WITH GRASS ROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS LIKE CITIZENS FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT, AMY HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE IN USING THIS LEGAL STRATEGY TO ENFORCE POLLUTION LAWS.

AMY'S COLLEAGUE, LISA DOOR, STATEWIDE DIRECT TO OF CBE, EXPLAINS HOW CITIZEN LITIGATION WORKS.

>> UNDER THE CLEAN WATER ACT, COMPANIES ARE GIVEN A PERMIT TO POLLUTE AND REQUIRED IN THAT PERMIT TO REPORT HOW MUCH POLLUTION THEY DUMP INTO A BOYD OF WATER ON A DAILY -- INTO A BODY OF WATER ON A DAILY OR QUARTERLY BASIS.

THOSE REPORTS ARE WRITTEN DOWN ON DISCHARGE MONITORING REPORTS AND SENT TO THE REGULATORY AGENCY.

AND IT'S UP TO THE AGENCY TO LOOK AT THOSE REPORTS AND IF THERE'S VIOLATIONS, TO TAKE SOME KIND OF ENFORCEMENT ACTION.

>> HI, I CALLED A LITTLE WHILE AGO AND I'M AMY MIDDLETON AND I WANTED THE KOCH D.M.R.ED.

>> THE MONITORING DISCHARGE-- >> UH-HUH.

>> WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE 1980s WITH THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY IS THEY TOOK VERY FEW ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS AGAINST REPORTED VIOLATIONS, SO UNDER THE CLEAN WATER ACT PEOPLE LIKE AMY MIDDLETON CAN GO DOWN, TAKE A LOOK AT THE REPORTS THAT POLLUTERS FILE ON THEIR PERMIT AND SEE IF THEY'RE VIOLATING THEIR PERMIT.

AND IF THEY FIND THERE ARE VIOLATIONS, THEY CAN FILE SUIT AGAINST THEM.

FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1989, WE SETTLED A SUIT WITH THE KOCH OIL REFINERY COMPANY FOR OVER 300 VIOLATIONS OF THE CLEAN EARTH ACT WHERE THEY WERE POLLUTING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND REPORTING THAT POLLUTION TO THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY.

HOWEVER, THE POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY WASN'T TAKING ANY KIND OF ENFORCEMENT ACTION.

>> AND WE USED THE POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY FILES TO DO A CITIZEN LITIGATION AND IT WAS THE FIRST AND LARGEST IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA UNDER THE CLEAN WATER ACT, AND WE WON.

WE GOT A $2.2 MILLION SETTLEMENT AND THE PLANT THEN ALSO HAD TO SPEND ANOTHER $11 MILLION UPGRADING THEIR PLANT SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE THESE DISCHARGES.

SO THAT WAS SORT OF THE -- ONE OF THE BEGINNING CASES OF -- THAT I WAS INVOLVED IN IN SORT OF WORKING THROUGH THE LITIGATION SYSTEM.

>> THE MONEY AWARDED C.B.E.

FROM THE KOCH REFINERY SUIT WENT TO FUND SUITS ON OTHER POLLUTERS.

THEY LOOKED FOR MORE WAYS TO UNCOVER ILLEGAL POLLUTION.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT AMY IS A CERTAIN CREATIVITY IN APPROACHING PROBLEMS, THE IDEA OF HIRING SOMEONE TO TAKE YOU OUT IN AN AIRPLANE AND DO INFRARED, AERIAL PHOTOS OF POLLUTION ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IS A REALLY CREATIVE WAY TO APPROACH ENFORCING POLLUTION LAWS.

THE INFRARED AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMBINED WITH SURVEYS BY CANOE, A TECHNIQUE CALLED GROUND-TRUTHING, RESULTED IN ANOTHER BIG WAYS FOR MIDDLETON AND C.B.E.

>> THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP IS ACCUSE INC.

WHY THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS OF POLLUTING THE RIVER IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE PURIFYING.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY THE MINNEAPOLIS WATER WORKS IS PUMPING SLUDGE INTO THE MISSISSIPPI JUST BEYOND THE CITY LIMITS.

>> LAST FALL, CLASSIC CANOEING DOWN THE RIVER, SORT OF MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS NOTICE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON, IN NORTH St.

PAUL -- NORTH MINNEAPOLIS AND THE RIVER CHANGED COLORS.

I MEAN, LITERALLY THERE WAS A LINE OF POLLUTION OF SOME SORT.

>> THE RESEARCHER SAID SHE FOLLOWED THE PLUME OF MATERIALITY WAY DOWN HERE, TO BOOM ISLAND.

SHE WONDERED WHY THE WATER ABRUPTLY CHANGED COLOR AND SHE SUSPECTED SOME OF THE FACTORIES NEARBY.

>> I SUSPECTED SOME BIGGER FISH AND LITTLE DID I KNOW IT WOULD BE THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS.

IT WAS QUITE A SURPRISE.

>> I FOLLOWED IT BACK UPSTREAM WITH WHO I WAS WITH AND WE SORT OF LAID IN THE BUSHES AND GOT A READ ON WHERE IT WAS ON RIVER ROAD.

HAD THESE FUNNY BIG PONDS AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS'S DRINKING WATER PLANT.

WE WERE SHOCKED WHEN WE FOUND IT.

>> CITIZENS TO FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT CHARGES THE WATER PLANT IS RELEASING FAR TOO MANY SOLIDS.

ITS PERMANENT ALLOWS 30 MILLIGRAMS PER LITER.

RESEARCH SAYS THE READINGS HAVE GONE AS HIGH AS 35 MILL MILLIGRAMS.

>> WE FILED THE ENTITIES TO SUE ON MARCH 31, AND ON MAY 3rd, THEY QUIT POLLUTING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

SO THE MINNEAPOLIS WATER WORKS HAD BEEN POLLUTING THE RIVER BLATANTLY FOR OVER TEN YEARS.

FIVE WEEKS AFTER WE FILED AN INTENT TO SUE, THEY STOPPED AND THEY HAVEN'T POLLUTED THE RIVER FOR OVER SIX MONTHS.

SO THE DIRECT RESULT, STOPPING MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF POLLUTION GOING INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THAT AMY'S ACTIVITIES HAVE HAD.

>> PEOPLE LIKE AMY MIDDLETON ARE A REAL KEY PART OF MAKING SURE THAT POLLUTION LAWS ARE ENFORCED.

AMY HAS BEEN TRAINED IN WATER RESOURCES AND SHE'S GOT THAT OVERALL UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE ENVIRONMENT IS INTERRELATED.

AT THE SAME TIME, SHE HAS AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE LEGAL SYSTEM IS AND HOW IT WORKS.

FINALLY, AND THIS IS WHAT I THINK IS UNIQUE, IS THAT SHE REALLY CONSIDERS THAT THE RIVER IS A SACRED BODY OF WATER.

THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BUT NOT ALL OF THEM HAVE A CHANCE TO REALLY TAKE ACTION ON IT.

>> I'M DEFINITELY A WATCHDOG.

I DEFINITELY CAN'T GO DONE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER OR ANY BODY OF WATER WITHOUT SORT OF KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR WHAT'S GOING ON, AND IT'S GOOD BECAUSE I SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE AND THERE'S A LOT OF CITIZENS UP AND DOWN THE RIVER THAT NOW HAVE ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE OF THE FACT SHEETS THAT I'VE GIVEN THEM OR WORKSHOPS THAT I'VE TRAINED THEM IN.

SO THAT FEELS GREAT.

MY WORK IS FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND I DON'T GET BADE TO DO THIS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THE RIVER IS MY BOSS DURING CASES LIKE THIS.