Lower Des Moines River

Watershed at a Glance

The Lower Des Moines River watershed is located in southwestern Minnesota. It covers approximately 703,000 acres.

Hydrologic Unit Code:	07100002
Intensive monitoring start year:	2014

Major lakes	Major rivers and streams
Information not available at this time.	Information not available at this time.

Characteristics

The river is used for recreational activities such as fishing, tubing, snowmobiling, and canoeing. It is also a valuable fisheries resource with the following species of fish prevalent throughout the watershed: northern pike, buffalo, carp, walleye, channel catfish, crappie, and bullhead. Land use is primarily agriculture.

What's being done

A TMDL was approved in December 2008 that addressed bacteria, turbidity, pH, and excess nutrients. An implementation plan for this TMDL was approved in September 2009. Since the approval, several grants have been received by local entities.

Monitoring and assessment

Des Moines River Basin Monitoring and Assessment Report (wq-ws3-07100001b)

The monitoring and assessment report is the first in a series of reports for watershed work conducted in the three Minnesota watersheds of the Des Moines River Basin. The report shares information on monitoring conducted to further information about the watersheds through Intensive Watershed Monitoring (IWM), and assessments on aquatic life, aquatic recreation, and drinking water uses.

Summary - Des Moines River Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report (wq-ws3-07100001c)

Des Moines River Watershed Characterization Report - Minnesota Digital Water Research Library