Big Fork River

The Big Fork River watershed, which covers 1,326,947 acres, flows 165 miles from Dora Lake (45 miles northeast of Bemidji in north-central Itasca County) to the Rainy River, which forms the Minnesota/Canadian border. This confluence is 16 miles west-southwest of International Falls. Nearly 60% of the watershed is land owned or managed by the state.

Development pressure is moderate in most areas, with occasional farms being parceled out for development, recreation, or country homes.

What's being done

Healthier watersheds - embed

Watersheds: Tracking the actions taken

See actions taken in Minnesota’s watersheds to meet water-quality goals and milestones: WRAPS, TMDLs, best practices, wastewater, and money spent.

Monitoring and assessment

• Big Fork River Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report
• Big Fork River Watershed Monitoring and Assessment: Report summary

Strategy development for restoration and protection

• Island Lake TMDL (wq-iw10-08e) (EPA approval 12/20/2017)
• Island Lake (Big Fork Watershed) TMDL: EPA approval letter (wq-iw10-08g)
• Big Fork Watershed WRAPS Report (wq-ws4-37a) (MPCA approval 9/8/2017)