Missouri River Basin Watersheds of Minnesota Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies

Minnesota uses a Watershed Approach to assess and address the water quality of each of the state's 80 major watersheds on a 10-year cycle. This report summarizes the findings of Watershed Approach work from portions of four major watersheds that are located in Southwest Minnesota and drain to the Missouri River: the Upper Big Sioux (UBS) River Watershed, the Lower Big Sioux (LBS) River Watershed, Rock River (RR) Watershed, and the Little Sioux River (LSR) Watershed (collectively referred to as the Missouri Watersheds). Water quality conditions in the Missouri watersheds reflect general water quality trends across Southern and Western Minnesota: the majority of monitored stream reaches and lakes are not meeting water quality standards for fishing and swimming as illustrated in the image at right. These waters should be restored through greater adoption of best management practices (BMPs) and minor changes to land use. However, some localized areas in the Missouri watersheds do meet water quality standards, and the land uses and BMPs that enable this clean water should be protected. The identified pollutants and stressors, the watershed-wide goals, and the 10-year targets are summarized below. Goals for individual lakes and stream reaches are presented in the report for locations with Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) data.