Des Moines River Basin Watersheds Total Maximum Daily Loads

Document
Description
This TMDL report addresses impaired stream reaches and lakes in the Des Moines River Basin listed on the 303(d) impaired waters list requiring a TMDL. The Des Moines River Basin in Minnesota encompasses portions of three 8-digit hydrologic code unit (HUC-08) watersheds, including all of the Des Moines River Headwaters (07100001) and portions of the Lower Des Moines River (07100002) and East Fork Des Moines River (07100003) watersheds. This TMDL report addresses one chloride impairment, two turbidity/total suspended solids (TSS) impairments, and 10 Escherichia coli bacteria (E. coli) impairments in 13 river reaches. Additionally, 23 excessive nutrients (phosphorus) impaired lakes are addressed in this TMDL report. Addressing multiple impairments in one TMDL report is consistent with Minnesota's Water Quality Framework that seeks to develop watershed-wide protection and restoration strategies rather than focus on individual reach impairments. The Des Moines River Basin is in southwestern Minnesota and encompasses part of the Western Corn Belt Plains (WCBP) and the Northern Glaciated Plains (NGP) ecoregions. The watershed covers an area of 1,537 square miles (approximately 983,000 acres). The Des Moines River Basin boundaries presented in this TMDL report cover portions of seven counties in Minnesota, including Cottonwood, Jackson, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nobles, and Pipestone. Only river reaches and lakes within the boundaries of Minnesota are included in this TMDL report, though the basin extends south into Iowa.
Date Issued
2021-03
Number of Pages
186
Decade
Corporate Author
Associated Organization
Publisher
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Publication Series
County
Rights Holder
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Rights Management
Public Domain