Cedar River Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report

The Cedar River Watershed (07080201) lies in southeastern Minnesota. Approximately 42 percent of the watershed lies in Minnesota and is addressed in this report, while the rest of the watershed lies across the border in Iowa. The watershed has 103 stream assessment units (AUIDs) and seven lakes. Drinking water quality and the recreational value of lakes and streams are assets to the health and wealth of local economies throughout the watershed. The Cedar River provides local communities with drinking water for households and industry, habitat for aquatic life, riparian corridors for wildlife, and recreational opportunities such as fishing, swimming and canoeing. Today, 88 percent of its landscape is utilized for cropland and pasture and nine percent is developed land used for housing, business and industrial complexes, county roads and city streets. Woodlands and wetlands dot the landscape and riparian corridors for only three percent of the total land area. Only one percent of the watershed is classified as open water.