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This report presents the results of biological monitoring conducted at seven sites on small streams in the Minnesota River Basin during 1994, 1995, and 1996 as part of the Minnesota River Improvement Project, whose goals are to improve water quality and biota through best management practices. Monitoring included assessment of riparian and instream habitat, physical and chemical measurements, and macroinvertebrate sampling. Results reported include habitat-quality assessments and macroinvertebrate analyses, but there is not a great deal of detail provided.

This report presents the findings form a waste-load allocation study of the lower 25 miles of the Minnesota River, designed to determine the maximum pollutant and loading that the river could assimilate. Included are brief backgrounds on earlier waste studies and point-source pollution-control efforts, a description of the Minnesota River region, a listing of point-source dischargers, and 1985 water quality and effluent standards. The study model is described in great technical detail, along with the results.

This study was intended to provide technical information needed to identify sources of nonpoint pollution to the Minnesota River, so that a waste load allocation study could be conducted accurately for the metropolitan segment. The report includes a description of the study area (e.g., physical characteristics, land use, and climate), study methodology (e.g., sampling), and data analysis (e.g., water-quality violations, streamflows). Study data and chart are appended.

Presenting an overview of the water quality of the Minnesota River Basin, this Extension Service report includes a discussion of specific water quality concerns (pathogens, sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen), an historic perspective on Minnesota River water quality, local water-quality goals, state and federal water-quality standards, regional patterns in pollution, pollution sources, and an implementation strategy for cleanup.