Water Storage in the Minnesota River Basin Existing Tools and Approaches for Mapping Water Storage Practices: Report 1B

The Minnesota River Basin Sediment Reduction Strategy has established a goal to reduce sediment in the Minnesota River by 50 percent by 2030. Conservation practices that mitigate sediment erosion, such as reduced tillage and cover crops, support progress towards the sediment reduction target. Water storage practices can further enhance progress towards this goal by detaining or retaining water during critical flows that facilitate sediment scouring and transport. The broader objective of this project seeks to identify and evaluate the benefits of potential water storage opportunities in the Minnesota River Basin. This report summarizes a review of existing tools and geographic information systems (GIS) approaches for siting water storage practice opportunities and/or quantifying storage volumes.