Watershed at a Glance
The Rum River watershed covers 997,060 acres in east-central Minnesota. The watershed lies within both the Northern Lakes and Forests and North Central Hardwoods Forest ecoregions. Parts of Aitkin, Crow Wing, Morrison, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, Benton, Isanti, Chisago, Sherburne, and Anoka counties are in the Rum watershed. The headwaters for the Rum begin at Mille Lacs Lake. and the river flows 145 miles to its confluence with the Mississippi River at Anoka.
| Hydrologic Unit Code: | 07010207 |
|---|---|
| Intensive monitoring start year: | 2013 |
| Major lakes | Major rivers and streams |
|---|---|
Mille Lacs, Onamia, Borden | Rum, Bogus Brook, Mike Drew Brook |
The Rum River watershed includes 212 lakes that are over 10 acres in size. Land use in the Rum River watershed is 39% agricultural, 24% forested, 18% grass/shrub/wetland, and 15% water.
Only a handful of lakes do not meet water quality standards for beneficial uses, such as aquatic recreation, drinking, and swimming. The main lake pollutant is phosphorus, causing algae blooms in summer months. The Rum River is designated as a "wild and scenic river." The upper river valley has one of the highest concentrations of prehistoric sites in Minnesota.
What's being done
Monitoring and assessment
Biological, chemistry and flow monitoring occurred in 2013 on several key stream reaches throughout the watershed. Volunteers and local government units, in addition to MPCA staff, conducted lake and stream monitoring on several key lakes throughout the watershed.
Hydrologic and Water Quality Calibration (wq-ws1-18)- Groundwater Report-Rum River Watershed (wq-ws1-11)
- Summary: Rum River watershed stressor identification report (wq-ws5-07010207b)
- Rum River Watershed Stressor Identification Report (wq-ws5-07010207)
- Rum River Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report (wq-ws3-07010207b)
- Rum River Watershed fish based lake IBI stressor Identification report (wq-ws5-07010207a)
Strategy development for restoration and protection
- Our Upper Mississippi River Large River and Basin Restoration and Protection Strategies (wq-ws4-38b)
- Summary: Rum River WRAPS report (wq-ws4-34b)
- Rum River WRAPS Report (wq-ws4-34a) (MPCA approved 7/10/2017)
- Rum River Watershed TMDL (wq-iw8-56e) (EPA approved 9/26/2017)
- Rum River Watershed TMDL: EPA approval letter (wq-iw8-56g)
Mille Lacs Soil & Water Conservation District
1016 5th St. SE
Milaca, MN 56353
320-983-2160
Anoka Conservation District
1318 McKay Drive NE, Suite 300
Ham Lake, MN 55304
763-434-2030
Twin Cities Metropolitan Area watersheds
There are 33 watershed districts (WD) and watershed management organizations (WMO) in the Twin Cities Metro Area. These metro watersheds are in 8 major (8-digit) watersheds: the Rum River, Lower St. Croix, Mississippi River (Twin Cities), Mississippi River (Lake Pepin), Minnesota River (Shakopee), South Fork Crow River, North Fork Crow River, and Cannon River watersheds. These WDs/WMOs are formed and regulated by MN Rules Chapter 8410.
A number of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Studies and Implementation Plans have already been completed or are underway for impaired waters in metro watersheds. Moving forward TMDL studies will be done in conjunction with watershed restoration and protection strategies (WRAPS) reports, which will contain the needed implementation strategy elements. Metro WRAPS will follow the timing and guidance of the watershed approach, but note that these will be completed at the metro WD/WMO scale.
MPCA staff also review metro watershed management plans that are developed by watershed districts and watershed management organizations.
Contacts
A list of MPCA staff contacts by metro watershed is available on the Twin Cities Metro watersheds page.