Upper Iowa River and Mississippi River–Reno Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report

The State of Minnesota has adopted a watershed approach to address the state’s 80 major watersheds.
This watershed approach incorporates water quality assessment, watershed analysis, public
participation, planning, implementation, and measurement of results into a 10-year cycle that addresses
both restoration and protection. The scientific findings regarding water quality conditions and strategies
for addressing them are incorporated into a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS)
report. This WRAPS report addresses the Minnesota portion of the Upper Iowa River (UIR) and
Mississippi River–Reno (MRR) watersheds, which spans 401 square miles in the southeastern corner of
the state. The watersheds are located in the Driftless Area and Western Corn Belt Plains ecoregions.
Land cover is predominantly row crop (corn and soybean) and agricultural. Forested areas are more
prevalent in the MRR Watershed.