Our Mission
We are a grassroots coalition from Viola Township and neighbors across Olmsted County, standing up for safe drinking water, family farms, and wildlife in the fragile karst region.
Viola, Minnesota, is a proud rural community just 10 minutes from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Thanks to strong community connections, Viola hosts the beloved Viola Gopher Count — widely regarded as the second-longest-running festival in America, second only to the Kentucky Derby. This tradition speaks to our resilience, neighborliness, and commitment to caring for our place.
We share the same connected aquifer system as Rochester and the Mayo Clinic. What happens to our groundwater here affects families across the region and one of the world’s premier medical centers.
The Case To Save Viola
The proposed Lemon Hill Solar Project would drive thousands of steel piles into karst geology. Over time, frost heave creates a path for run-off to travel from the surface into aquifers without any natural filtration, severely polluting the groundwater.
Lessons From History
Real‑world examples where authorities or corporations ignored clear warnings, leading to catastrophic harm.