The Painter Creek subwatershed is located along the northwestern boundary of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD or District) and within the cities of Medina, Orono, Maple Plain, Independence, and Minnetrista. The subwatershed includes Painter Creek, Katrina Lake, Thies Lake, large areas of undisturbed or low-density development (including Baker Park Reserve), and numerous wetlands. The upper subwatershed drains to Katrina Lake, which is the headwater of Painter Creek. Painter Creek, which is comprised mainly of ditches through large wetland and marsh areas connected by relatively short reaches of channel with forested banks, flows 6.2 miles to Jennings Bay.

Painter Creek conveys high phosphorus and sediment loads to Jennings Bay. The ecological integrity of Painter Creek is limited by its low gradient, water quality, and the numerous wetlands through which the stream flows. Little information is available regarding water quality in Katrina Lake or Thies Lake. Numerous high-value wetlands are present in the subwatershed.

Read the Painter Creek Subwatershed Plan from the MCWD Watershed Management Plan.