WORTHINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of water permit holders in Minnesota are violating the law by using billions of gallons more water than they’re allowed, Department of Natural Resources records show. The violators include individuals, businesses and even state government agencies, Minnesota Public Radio reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/XhFUiX ). All have state permits that let them take specific amounts of water each year from underground wells, rivers, lakes and wetlands. But many aren’t obeying the terms of their permits, and they face few consequences for using too much water. “There’s no doubt that a lot of them are appropriating more water than they’re currently authorized,” said Dale Homuth, manager of the DNR’s conservation assistance and regulations section. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Water-permit-violations-not-priority-for-DNR-4312531.php?cmpid=twitter