The development of watershed-based teams to guide the implementation of land use practices and policies which will achieve maximum benefits for water quality, the economy, and the quality of life in the basin;

Building on each County Comprehensive Local Water Plan and support the counties and local watershed groups in merging those plans and others into comprehensive watershed plans as required by regulation;

Offering technical assistance to watershed-based groups to assist in the design and planning of projects, implementation of these projects and development of the organizational structure necessary to achieve a sustainable planning and project effort;

Assisting in funding alternative land management practices that if implemented on a basin-wide scale, will significantly improve the water quality of the Minnesota River and its tributaries; and,

Sharing and distributing data retrieved as a result of the watershed planning and project implementation efforts using the Minnesota River Basin Data Center and each county's databases as appropriate.

Riparian Maps by County:   Land use and cover maps prepared through the cooperative efforts of the Minnesota River Basin Data Center and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources to identify and prioritize riparian areas for implementation projects in the Minnesota River Basin.

Water Quality Improvement Projects 1998-1999   In 1997 the Minnesota State Legislature approved $475,000 for implementation projects in the Minnesota River Basin administrated by the Board of Water and Soil Resources. This funding was awarded to the Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers Board for water quality improvement projects. Additional cost share dollars supported 15 water quality improvement projects totaling $1,359,887.

Restorable Wetland Acres of the Blue Earth, Le Sueur, and Watonwan Major Watersheds. These data were developed through GIS analysis using selected land capability classifications of soils. These data are downloadable as an ARCINFO export file (view metadata) and are presented as a summary table in the result section of each watershed's diagnostic report.

Download ARCINFO export file:
Blue Earth
Le Sueur
Watonwan