Lower Minnesota River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report

The Lower Minnesota River Watershed (LMRW) spans 1,835 square miles from east central Renville
County to southwestern Ramsey County, encompassing a majority of Sibley, Le Sueur, Scott, and Carver
counties, and portions of McLeod, Nicollet, Rice, Dakota, and Hennepin counties. With several metro
cities in the northeast and extensive cropland in the remaining areas, this watershed is both diverse and
greatly altered from its original land cover. As part of its transformation, many of the wetlands were
drained and a majority of its streams were channelized. This report does not directly address the main stem of the Minnesota River, nor lakes in the river’s floodplain. Because it receives drainage from the entire Minnesota River Basin, the main stem of the Minnesota River is addressed in basin-scale studies/plans. Actions in the tributary streams of the LMRW will contribute to the improvement of the main stem, but will require additional actions upstream if all
impairments of the Minnesota River main stem will be addressed.