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A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that drains off of it goes into the same place — a river, stream or lake.
The Rainy River - Headwaters Watershed covers nearly 1.9 million acres, starting in northern Cook and Lake Counties and flowing west/northwesterly into St. Louis County and the Canadian border waters.
The Little Fork River Watershed covers nearly 1.2 million acres, the main stem flowing 160 miles through north-central St. Louis County and heading northwest into Koochiching County. It flows more northerly until it reaches its confluence with the Rainy River about 11 miles west of International Falls.
Surface water assessment grants (SWAG) provide local organizations and citizen volunteers with funds to complete the monitoring needed to meet assessment requirements on Minnesota lakes and streams. Assessment is usually the first step in protecting or restoring surface waters.
The MPCA uses the Environmental Quality Information System (EQuIS) to store water quality data from more than 17,000 Minnesota sampling locations.
The health of Minnesota's large rivers is a reflection of how well we are protecting overall water quality.
The Big Fork River Watershed covers more than 1.3 million acres that include some of the state’s most pristine wilderness. The river flows north 165 miles from Dora Lake (45 miles northeast of Bemidji in north-central Itasca County) to the Rainy River, which forms the Minnesota-Canada border.
Status of total maximum daily load (TMDL) projects in Minnesota.
The Vermilion River Watershed, located within northern St. Louis County, covers 662,427 acres, or 1,035 square miles.
The Rainy River - Rainy Lake Watershed covers 583,791 acres. Open water makes up 75,815 of those acres and wetlands occupy another 84,851 acres. The watershed is 64% in St. Louis County and 36% in Koochiching County. The northern boundary is part of the international border waters with Ontario, Canada.
The Lower Rainy River Watershed is composed of a conglomeration of tributaries to the Rainy River, from International Falls and west to the Rainy River's pour point at the Lake of the Woods.
The Mississippi River - Headwaters Watershed consists of 1.26 million acres (1,961 square miles) and contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca in Itasca State Park. The watershed includes parts of Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard and Itasca counties.
The Nemadji River Watershed spans the Minnesota-Wisconsin border and covers nearly 1.2 million acres.
The Minnesota River - Headwaters Watershed covers 487,015 acres in the Prairie Parkland ecoregion of southwestern Minnesota. Portions of Traverse, Big Stone, Swift, Lac qui Parle, Stevens, and Chippewa counties drain the watershed.
The Rapid River watershed covers 573,060 acres in northern Minnesota. Over 79% of the land in the watershed is owned or managed by state entities.
The Buffalo River Watershed covers more than 1,100 square miles in portions of Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin counties, with a small portion of its headwaters in the White Earth Reservation.
A program to provide sustainable, longer-term funding a select number watersheds to make measurable and visible progress.
The Cedar River Watershed in Minnesota encompasses 454,029 acres in Mower, Freeborn, Dodge, and Steele counties. This watershed covers prime agricultural land with many streams and drainage ditches flowing into the river.
The Otter Tail River Watershed encompasses three different ecoregions, covering more than 1.2 million acres in west-central Minnesota.
The Clean Water Act established the framework for creating water quality standards and continues to help us protect Minnesota's prized lakes and rivers.