A watershed is the area of land that drains to a common lake, wetland, stream or river. Watersheds come in different sizes and scales: for example someone who lives on Lake Minnetonka is part of the Lake Minnetonka watershed, which is also in the Minnehaha creek watershed, which is also in the Mississippi River watershed, which is also in the Gulf of Mexico Watershed. No matter where you are, you are always in a watershed.
What's your Watershed Address?
Learn more about the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
Watershed boundaries, which are based on the high points of the landscape, do not follow political lines. This means that one community's actions can affect water quality and quantity downstream.
Sometimes conflicts arise between communities over how is water is managed. To address this problem, the State of Minnesota implemented the Minnesota Watershed District Act in 1955. The act provides for the establishment of local units of government to protect and manage water resources based on hydrologic (as opposed to political) boundaries.
A watershed district is a unit of government that is based on the landscape boundary of a watershed. Watershed districts can include part or all of a number of cities, townships, and counties. They are charged by statute with the responsibility "to conserve the natural resources of the state by land use planning, flood control, and other conservation practices using sound scientific principles for the protection of the public health and welfare and provident use of the natural resource."
Watershed districts are formed for many reasons, including water quality protection, erosion control and flood control. Since watershed districts are based on the drainage area, water bodies and the land draining into them are regulated by one local entity with a central comprehensive vision for managing the entire water resource. In addition, the law recognizes that regulation of the use of land within a watershed is an essential component in protecting and preserving the water resources within the watershed. Again, watershed districts, as local entities with boards made up of local citizens, provide an effective tool in regulating land use and protecting water resources.
To form a watershed district, local residents, city, or county boards may petition the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), which is a state government board that provides oversight and support to watershed districts, soil and water conservation districts, and other conservation districts in Minnesota.
The concept of watershed management of water resources is now the preferred method of protecting and managing water resources and is being used by several states and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Learn more about Watershed District in MN
Watershed Districts in Minnesota: Click on their name to visit their website and receive more information.
(Some districts may not have a website and are linked to the Board of Soil and Water Resources information page on that watershed district).
| Valley Branch | |
| Kanaranzi-Little Rock | Yellow Medicine |
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| Management Organizations | |
| Scott | |
| Middle St. Croix | |
| Mississippi | |
| Lower St. Croix | |
| Black Dog | |
| Gun Club | |
| Vermillion | |
| Vadnais Lake Area |
Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts
Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources