The Red River Valley ecoregion makes up about half of the Red River Basin in Minnesota (about 6,540 square miles). It is the flat plain left behind by Glacial Lake Agassiz that extends from the southern tip of the basin to the Canadian border and beyond. The Red River drains the valley, but has a poorly defined floodplain due to the flatness of the terrain. An extensive network of drainage ditches reduces the accumulation and holding of water on the plain to facilitate farming.

The original vegetation of the Red River Valley was tall bluestem prairie, with cottonwood, willow and elm trees along streams. Presently, the vast majority of the land in the ecoregion is used for agriculture and little natural vegetation remains. The main crops grown are spring wheat, sugar beets, barley, sunflowers, potatoes, corn and soybeans.

Streams entering the Red River Valley from the eastern uplands are slow flowing and meandering streams, except where they have been channelized. Streambanks are steep and eroded, with narrow strips of vegetation.

(Information source: U.S. Geological Survey Report "Red River of the North Basin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota" by Jeffrey Stoner, David Lorenz, Gregg Wiche, and Robert Goldstein, published in the Water Resources Bulletin July/August 1993.)

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For questions about the Red River Basin information available on this Web site, contact Molly MacGregor at 218-846-0494.