BLUE EARTH RIVER MAJOR WATERSHED

Major Watershed 30

Location Index Map for the Blue Earth River Major Watershed

General Description of the Blue Earth River Major Watershed

The Blue Earth River Major Watershed is one of the twelve major watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin. It is located in south central Minnesota within Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Jackson, Martin, Watonwan counties and northern Iowa. There are 21 municipalities in the watershed of which the city of Mankato is the largest. The Blue Earth River major watershed area is approximately 1,550 square miles or 992,034 acres. Of the 992,034 acres, 775,590 acres are located in Minnesota and 216,444 acres are located in Iowa. The watershed is subdivided into 115 minor watersheds. The minor watersheds range in size from 2,197 acres to 30,584 acres with the mean size approximately 8,626 acres. Agriculture is the predominant land use within the watershed.

The Blue Earth River and its tributaries, public and private drainage systems, lakes and wetlands, define the drainage network of the major watershed. The Blue Earth River flows north to its confluence with the Minnesota River at the city of Mankato in Blue Earth County. The total distance of the stream network in Minnesota is 1,178 miles of which 414 miles are intermittent streams and 764 miles are perennial streams.

Under construction.............

Map of Major Watershed 30

View, print or save PDF file of the Blue Earth River Major Watershed (419 K)

Summary Tables and Watershed Management Information

The summary tables are generated from the MRBDC GIS data. Watershed management groups, projects and other related descriptive data are described and links are provided to detailed information. Many publications and maps are available for downloading and printing using Adobe PDF format. Please follow the links at the bottom of the page for other related data. You may access the GIS data for the Blue Earth River Major Watershed by going to the GIS section on the MRBDC home page or by using the link at the bottom of the page.

Summary Tables	Counties Municipalities Streams Lakes Wetlands Minor Watersheds
Watershed Management	Local Water Planning Soil and Water Conservation Districts Watershed Organizations Watershed Projects
Related Data Resources	Information at Other Web Sites Additional Information at the MRBDC Web Site

GIS Summary Tables

County

Areal relationship between the Blue Earth River Major Watershed and Minnesota counties

County Name	County Acres In Blue Earth Major Watershed	County Square Miles in Blue Earth Major Watershed	Percent of County In Blue Earth Major Watershed	Percent of Blue Earth Major Watershed In County
Blue Earth	79,783	124.7	16.29 %	8.04 %
Cottonwood	830	1.3	0.20 %	0.08 %
Faribault	305,095	476.7	66.06 %	30.75 %
Freeborn	31,782	49.7	6.88 %	3.20 %
Jackson	54,005	84.4	11.73 %	5.44 %
Martin	303,370	474.0	65.01 %	30.58 %
Watonwan	721	1.1	0.26 %	0.07 %

County and watershed information is derived from MRBDC GIS analysis of Mn/DOT State of Minnesota BaseMap '98 county data and DNR Major/Minor Watershed file-1995 version (WSHED95) watershed data. Calculations are based on total acres of the Blue Earth River Major Watershed.

Municipalities

Incorporated communities of the Blue Earth River Major Watershed, Minnesota

City Name	County	Population (1990)
Alden	Freeborn	623
Amboy*	Blue Earth	567
Blue Earth	Faribault	3745
Bricelyn	Faribault	426
Elmore	Faribault	709
Fairmont	Martin	11265
Frost	Faribault	236
Good Thunder*	Blue Earth	561
Granada	Martin	374
Jackson*	Jackson	3563
Kiester	Faribault	606
Mankato*	Blue Earth	31459
Northrop	Martin	276
Sherburn*	Martin	1105
Skyline	Blue Earth	344
Trimont	Martin	745
Vernon Center*	Blue Earth	336
Walters	Faribault	86
Welcome	Martin	790
Wells*	Faribault	2465
Winnebago*	Faribault	1565

City information is derived from MRBDC GIS major watershed data (major30); Mn/DOT State of Minnesota BaseMap '98 (muni98 and county98); U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 population data.
* Denotes total municipal population, however only part of population exists within the Blue Earth River Major Watershed.

Streams

Streams within the Blue Earth River Major Watershed, Minnesota

Stream Name	Total Stream Miles	Total Perennial Stream Miles	Total Intermittent Stream Miles
Badger Creek	15.4	13.7	1.7
Blue Earth River	109.2	109.2	0.0
Brush Creek	11.8	11.8	0.0
Cedar Creek	21.2	17.4	3.8
Center Creek	29.9	29.9	0.0
Coon Creek	28.1	28.1	0.0
Dutch Creek	13.0	8.8	4.1
East Branch Blue Earth River	58.4	58.4	0.0
Elm Creek	90.4	86.6	3.8
Foster Creek	15.5	13.2	2.3
Lily Creek	14.4	10.0	4.4
Little Badger Creek	17.8	17.8	0.0
Middle Branch Blue Earth River	8.6	8.6	0.0
North Fork Elm Creek	6.3	5.4	.9
South Creek	26.8	26.8	0.0
South Fork Elm Creek	17.5	16.4	1.2
West Branch Blue Earth River	11.1	11.1	0.0
Willow Creek	9.2	9.2	0.0
Total Named Streams	504.5	482.4	22.1
Total Major Watershed Streams	1,178	764	414

Stream information is derived from MRBDC GIS stream data (stream30). Stream name is the name of the stream as displayed on the USGS 24,000 series quadrangle maps. Perennial and intermittent stream designation is defined by the stream symbol on the USGS 24,000 series quadrangle maps.

Lakes

Explanation of data fields in the following lake table:

Lake Name	Name presented on the USGS 24,000 series quadrangle maps.
County Name	County in which the majority of the lake is located.
Minor Watershed Number	Number of the minor watershed in which the lake is located.
DNR Waters Lake Number	Eight digit code: two digit code representing the alphabetical list of counties in Minnesota + four digit lake number + two digit lake subbasin number.
Acres	Lake area in acres as represented on USGS 24,000 series quadrangle maps.
PWI Class	Protected Water Inventory Classification. Classifications include: P = Protected (Public) Water W = Protected (Public Waters) Wetland N = Not Protected Water or Wetland A = Protected Water or Wetland in an adjacent county; not protected in the indicated county R = Renumbered; water has been assigned a legal Protected Waters Inventory number different from historic Bulletin 25 identification number
Shoreland Management Zoning Class	Zoning classifications of lakes based on current DNR approved shoreland ordinances. Classifications include: Natural Environment, Recreational Development. General Development, Multiple, Not in Shoreland Program.

Lakes within the Blue Earth River Major Watershed, Minnesota

Lake Name	County Name	Minor Watershed Number	DNR Waters Lake Number	Acres	PWI Class	Shoreland Management Zoning Classification
Amber Lake	Martin	30066	46003400	182.06	P	General Development
Big Twin Lake	Martin	30076	46013300	452.62	P	Natural Environment
Budd Lake	Martin	30067	46003000	224.46	P	General Development
Buffalo Lake	Martin	30057	46004400	248.94	P	Natural Environment
Buffalo Lake	Martin	30078	46014600	100.34	P	Natural Environment
Canright Lake	Martin	30057	46004300	39.52	P	Natural Environment
Cedar Lake	Martin	30078	46012100	720.82	P	Natural Environment
Clam Lake	Martin	30076	46011100	69.60	P	Natural Environment
Creek Lake	Martin	30070	46011700	148.17	P	Natural Environment
Eagle Lake	Martin	30073	46007800	132.63	P	Natural Environment
East Chain Lake	Martin	30062	46001000	482.52	P	Natural Environment
Fish Lake	Martin	30078	46014500	152.71	P	Natural Environment
Fox Lake	Martin	30077	46010900	932.19	P	Recreational Development
George Lake	Martin	30067	46002400	85.03	P	General Development
Hall Lake	Martin	30067	46003100	551.09	P	General Development
High Lake	Martin	30069	46003700	87.59	P	Natural Environment
Ida Lake	Blue Earth	30090	07009000	111.72	P	Natural Environment
Iowa Lake	Martin	30065	46004900	511.18	P	Natural Environment
Kiester Lake	Martin	30057	46004200	45.60	P	Natural Environment
Lake Charlotte	Martin	30069	46003900	121.17	P	Natural Environment
Lake Imogene	Martin	30058	46001200	192.21	P	Natural Environment
Lake Independence	Jackson	30096	32001700	97.08	P	Natural Environment
Lake Seymour	Martin	30076	46011300	46.74	P	Natural Environment
Laurs Lake	Jackson	30095	32001600	188.56	P	Natural Environment
Little Hall Lake	Martin	30058	46002700	37.87	P	Natural Environment
Little Twin Lake	Martin	30078	46013000	71.57	P	Natural Environment
Luedtke Slough	Martin	30067	None	24.34	N	Not in Shoreland Program
Martin Lake	Martin	30069	46003600	302.12	P	Natural Environment
Morin Lake	Freeborn	30004	24004300	20.10	P	DNR Classified - RD
Mud Lake	Martin	30066	46003500	114.71	P	Natural Environment
Murphy Lake	Martin	30070	46004800	49.14	P	Natural Environment
North Lake	Martin	30078	46014700	123.51	P	Natural Environment
North Silver Lake	Martin	30066	46001600	200.68	P	Natural Environment
Porter Lake	Blue Earth	30088	07011000	25.05	W	Not in Shoreland Program
Reinke Slough	Blue Earth	30088	07009100	15.98	W	Not in Shoreland Program
Rice Lake	Faribault	30007	22000700	257.03	P	Shoreland Residential - Faribault Co.
Rose Lake	Martin	30059	46003200	391.34	P	Natural Environment
Round Lake	Martin	30076	46011600	45.68	W	Natural Environment
Sager Lake	Martin	30062	46003300	206.87	P	Natural Environment
Sisseton Lake	Martin	30067	46002500	141.85	P	General Development
South Silver Lake	Martin	30065	46002000	246.25	P	Recreational Development
South Walnut Lake	Faribault	30007	22002200	345.75	P	Shoreland Agriculture - Faribault Co.
Swag Lake	Martin	30063	46001300	70.47	P	Natural Environment
Twin Lake	Martin	30057	46004000	8.95	P	Not in Shoreland Program
Walnut Lake	Faribault	30007	22002300	686.12	P	Shoreland Agriculture - Faribault Co.
Watkins Lake	Martin	30086	46013200	260.38	P	Natural Environment
Wilmert Lake	Martin	30066	46001400	360.36	P	Natural Environment

Lake information is generated from the MRBDC GIS lake data (lake30) and the DNR Waters Lake List from database (LAKES-DB).

Wetlands

Wetlands from the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) within the Blue Earth River Major Watershed, Minnesota

NWI Wetland Description	NWI Cowardian Classification	Wetland Type	Total Area in Acres	Percent of Watershed
Lakes and Deep Ponds; Some shallow ponds with aquatic bed, unconsolidated bottom and shore.	Lacustrine (L); Palustrine (PAB, PUB, PUS)	Open Water	9,954	1.28 %
Shallow ponds, marshes, swamps, and sloughs.	Palustrine (PEM)	Emergent	10,819	1.40 %
Shallow ponds, marshes, swamps, and sloughs with woody vegetation less than 20 feet tall.	Palustrine (PSS)	Scrub/Shrub	396	0.05 %
Shallow ponds, marshes, swamps, and sloughs with woody vegetation greater than 20 feet tall.	Palustrine (PFO)	Forested	2,735	0.35 %
Rivers, creek, and streams presented as areas.	Riverine (R)	Riverine	1,994	0.26 %

Wetland information is generated from MRBDC GIS major watershed data (major30) and NWI wetland data (nwi30p). NWI data is from USFWS and MDNR Waters National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) Minnesota 1988-92.

Minor Watersheds

*TABLE TO BE ADDED*

Minor watershed information is derived from MRBDC GIS using DNR Major/Minor Watershed file �1995 version (WSHED95) watershed data.

Watershed Management

Local Water Planning

Blue Earth County Comprehensive Local Water Plan 1998-2007

Cottonwood County Comprehensive Water Plan 1997-2006

Faribault County Comprehensive Water Plan 1997-2006

Freeborn County Comprehensive Water Plan Revised 1997-2005

Jackson County Comprehensive Water Plan 1997-2007
View, print or save this document as a PDF file (515K)

Martin County Comprehensive Local Water Plan 1995-2005
View, print or save this document as a PDF file (2,478K)

Watonwan County Comprehensive Water Plan 1998-2008

Directory of County Water Planners in the Blue Earth River Major Watershed

Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)

Blue Earth County Soil and Water Conservation District
Cottonwood County Soil and Water Conservation District
Faribault County Soil and Water Conservation District
Freeborn County Soil and Water Conservation District
Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District
Martin County Soil and Water Conservation District
Watonwan County Soil and Water Conservation District

Watershed Organizations

Blue Earth River Basin Implementation (BERBI)
BERBI Coordinator - Linda Meschke phone: (507) 238-5449

Blue Earth River Team (BERT) Department of Natural Resources
Contact - Cathi Fouchi phone: (507) 389-6257

Blue Earth River Watershed WILL Committee
(Watershed Implementation at the Local Level)
WILLS Coordinator - Greg Van Eeckhout phone: (507) 389-5492
Blue Earth WILLS Chairperson - Gary Wehrenberg phone: (507) 526-2300

Hiawatha Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D)
Coordinator - Roger Lenzmeier phone: (507) 281-1959

Region 8 Southwest Regional Development Commission
Executive Director - Randy Jorgenson phone: (507) 836-8547

Region 9 Regional Development Commission
Executive Director - Russ Wille phone (507) 387-5643 or (800) 450-5643

Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers Board (MRBJPB)
Executive Director - Steve Hansen phone: (612) 361-6590

South Central Minnesota Comprehensive County Water Planning Project (SCMCCWPP)
Policy Committee Chairperson - Don Zeigler phone: (507) 526-6225
Technical Committee Chairperson - Gary Werhenberg phone: (507) 526-2388

Three Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D)
Chairperson - Lowell Sieg phone: (507) 776-3692

Watershed Projects

Blue Earth River Implementation Framework, Phase I Diagnostic (CWP). MPCA Phase I - Diagnostic Clean Water Partnership Project, 1995-1999. The project area is the Blue Earth River and Watonwan River Major Watersheds.
View, print or save this document as a PDF file (1704K).

Dutch Creek Watershed Project. Martin County Environmental Services, 1998-2000. The project area is the Dutch Creek Watershed, minor watershed 30072, within Martin County.

Fox Lake - Lake Assessment Program. MPCA Lake Assessment Program (LAP), 1993. The project area is the Fox Lake lakeshed which is minor watershed 30077.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Biological and Toxicological Assessment Diatom Assemblage Structure as an Indicator of Stream Habitat Condition in the Minnesota River Watershed. MPCA, 1993. The project area included 16 minor watersheds in the Minnesota River Basin. Within this major watershed, the project area included the following minor watersheds: 30030, 30047, 30049, 30050, 30056, 30073.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Biological and Toxicological Assessment Characterization of Sediments, Settleable Solids and Water Quality of Stormwater Runoff in the Minnesota River Watershed. MPCA, 1989-1992. The project area includes select minor watersheds and the main stem and tributaries of the Minnesota River. Within the major watershed the project area included the following minor watersheds: 30030, 30047, 30050, 30056.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Biological and Toxicological Assessment Ambient Toxicity Assessment in the Minnesota River Basin. MPCA, 1989-1992. The project area is the Minnesota River main stem and 12 tributary sites. Within the major watershed, the project included the following minor watersheds: 30030, 30047, 30049.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Biological and Toxicological Assessment Analysis of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Minnesota River Watershed. MPCA, 1989-1992. The project area includes 41 assessment sites. Within the major watershed, the project included minor watersheds: 30023, 30024, 30030, 30047, 30049, 30050, 30056.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Biological and Toxicological Assessment A Fish Community Analysis of the Minnesota River Basin. MPCA, 1990-1992. The project area is 116 sites along the Minnesota River main stem and tributaries, and within select minor watersheds. Within the major watershed, the project included minor watersheds: 30050, 30039, 30038, 30043, 30007, 30110, 30010, 30049, 30046, 30047, 30061, 30029, 30057, 30028, 30056, 30051, 30021, 30030, 30022, 30025, 30089, 30091, 30092.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Land Use Assessment - Level II.
NRCS, 1993. The project area includes ten minor watersheds located within the Blue Earth, Watonwan, and Le Sueur River major watersheds. Within the major watershed, the Level II Land Use Assessment project included minor watersheds: 30030, 30047, 30050, 30056.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Land Use Assessment - Level III.
MPCA, 1990-1991. The Level III Land Use Assessment project area included 32 select minor watersheds. Within the major watershed, the project included minor watersheds: 30023, 30030, 30039, 30047, 30049, 30050, 30056, 30074.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Land Use Assessment - Level III
(Revised Methodology). MPCA, 1991. The revised Level III Land Use Assessment project area included 5 additional minor watersheds. Within the major watershed, the project included minor watershed 30024.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Land Use Assessment - Level IV
(Aerial Photography Study). MSU Water Resources Center, 1991. The Level IV Land Use Assessment project area involves ten select minor watersheds. Within the major watershed, the project included minor watershed: 30030, 30047, 30050, 30056.

Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) Physical and Chemical Assessment Selected Water Quality and Flow Data From Minor Watersheds in the Blue Earth River Basin. MPCA, 1991. The project area included eight minor watersheds selected in 1991, with two additional minor watersheds added in 1992. Within this major watershed, the project included minor watersheds: 30030, 30047, 30050, 30056.

South Central Minnesota Comprehensive County Water Planning Project (SCMCCWPP) Volunteer Rain Gage Reader Network. SCMCCWPP, 1992-present. The SCMCCWPP Volunteer Rain Gage Reader Network includes thirteen counties: Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Jackson, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Steele, Waseca, and Watonwan.

Related Data Resources

Information at Other Web Sites

Minnesota River Basin Information Document 1997
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
Go to the MPCA Web Site to read further information about of the Blue Earth River Major Watershed.

Additional Information at the MRBDC Web Site

Geographic Information System Blue Earth River Major Watershed GIS data

Data Inventory of the Blue Earth River Major Watershed by minor watershed

Local Watershed Contacts for the Blue Earth River Major Watershed

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This page was last updated 5/31/99

Minnesota River Basin Data Center
Minnesota State University, Mankato
184 Trafton Science Center S, Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: (507)389-5492
FAX: (507)389-5493
Email: mrbdc@mankato.msus.edu