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Selected Data for Stream Subbasins in the Watonwan River Basin, South-Central Minnesota

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Selected Data for Stream Subbasins in the Watonwan River Basin, South-Central Minnesota SELECTED DATA FOR STREAM SUBBASINS IN THE WATONWAN RIVER BASIN, SOUTH-CENTRAL MINNESOTA By David L. Lorenz and Gregory A. Payne ABSTRACT This report presents selected data that describe the characteristics of stream basins upstream from selected points on streams in the Watonwan River basin. The points on the streams include outlets of subbasins of about five square miles, sewage treatment plant outlets, and U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in the basin. INTRODUCTION The Watonwan River upstream from its confluence with the Blue Earth River drains an area of 878 mi 2 (square miles). It is located in the counties of Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Martin, Jackson, and Watonwan in south-central Minnesota. This report is one of several gazateers providing basin characteristics of streams in Minnesota. It provides selected data for subbasins larger thai about 5 mi , sewage-treatment-plant outlets, and U.S. Geological Survey (USG: streamflow-gaging stations located in the Watonwan River basin. Methods USGS 7-1/2 minute series topographic maps were used as base maps to obtain the data presented in this report. Data were compiled with a geograph­ ic information system (CIS) and were stored in an Albers equal-area projec­ tion. Data-base functions and other capabilities of the CIS were used to aggregate the data, determine drainage area of the subbasins, and determine stream-channel lengths. Elevation data for the streams were recorded at the point where topographic-contour lines intersected the stream traces. Points on the stream channel 10 percent and 85 percent of the stream-channel length from the basin outlet to the drainage divide were located by the CIS, and the elevations of these points were interpolated from the data recorded in the CIS. Stream slope was calculated from these data. Lake area and storage area data were calculated using the analytic capabilities of the CIS. Acknowledgments The Minnesota State Planning Information Center provided assistance with much of the digitizing and programing needed to produce this report. The Center's help is gratefully acknowledged. DRAINAGE-AREA BOUNDARIES The subbasins reported here were delineated on the basis of topographic features and human activities recorded on topographic maps. Data from field inspection and recent drainage-ditch maps were transferred to the topographic maps. Drainage basins do not have fixed boundaries. Human activities along basin divides, such as the installation of storip sewers, the drainage of wetlands, and the diversions of streams can alter the stream's, drainage area. EXPLANATION OF BASIN CHARACTERISTICS Tajjjle 1 is a list of the basin characteristics determined for each of the subbasins in the Watonwan River basin. The rank of the stream is shown by indentation and indicates the drainage pattern of the stream. The first- ranked river is the Watonwan River. Tributary streams are indented two spaces per rank. The data for drainage area, main-channel length, and main-channel slope are reported using three significant figures or rounded to the nearest hun­ dredth of a unit. The data for lake area and storage area are reported to two significant figures or to the nearest 0.1 percent. Table 1.--Selected characteristics of the Watonwan River drainage basin [Outlet location is quarter-quarter section, section, township, range] By subbasin Cumulative to mouth of basin Storage Lake Storage Main Drainage Lake area area Drainage area area Main channel area (percent (percent area (percent (percent channel slope Map Downstream (square subbasin subbasin (square total total length (foot number order no. Stream name Outlet location miles) area) area) miles) area) area) (miles) per mile) 5701 5318300 Uatonwan River near Delft NE'ASE'A 11 106N 36W 13.5 0.6 2.0 13.5 0.6 2.0 8.32 14.6 5700 Watonwan River NE'ANW/t 28 106N 34W 33.4 1.4 3.5 46.9 1.2 3.1 29.5 7.69 5800 Tributary to Watonwan River NE'/tNW1/* 28 106N 34W 12.0 5.0 5.6 12.0 5.0 5.6 6.43 17.2 3401 Mountain Lake stp Outlet NE'ANWA 28 106N 34W .11 33 33 59.0 2.0 3.7 29.7 7.66 3400 Watonwan River SE'/tSW/t 30 107N 33W 11.6 .0 .1 70.6 1.7 3.1 45.3 6.74 3500 Tributary to Watonwan River SE'ASW/t 30 107N 33W 12.2 .4 .6 12.2 .4 .6 9.00 15.8 3001 5318425 Watonwan River near Darfur NE'ASE'A 33 107N 33W 2.41 .0 .0 85.2 1.5 2.6 50.7 6.85 3330 Tributary to Watonwan River NWViSE'A 34 107N 33W 7.83 .1 2.7 7.83 .1 2.7 5.08 36.3 3900 Tributary to Watonwan River NWViNE'A 32 107N 32W 12.4 2.9 5.0 12.4 2.9 5.0 10.2 6.20 3000 Watonwan River NW%NE'/4 32 107N 32W 16.0 .0 .3 121 1.3 2.6 63.1 6.75 5400 North Fork Watonwan River NWViNW1/* 14 107N 32W 15.4 .0 .2 15.4 .0 .2 10.4 16.7 5600 Triburary to North Fork NE'ANW/t 01 106N 35W 4.19 .0 .5 4.19 .0 .5 5.92 19.8 Watonwan River 5500 Tributary to North Fork NWASE'A 20 107N 34W 10.1 .1 .4 14.3 .1 .4 17.2 14.6 Watonwan River 3601 5318530 North Fork Watonwan River NE'ANE'A 18 107N 33W 13.5 .0 .2 43.2 .0 .3 30.7 9.55 near Darfur 3600 North Fork Watonwan River NWANWA 07 107N 32W 9.75 .0 .9 53.0 .0 .4 41.2 7.80 3700 Wood Lake Outlet NWANW/t 07 107N 32W 14.4 6.9 11 14.4 6.9 11.0 10.0 6.37 3800 North Fork Watonwan River NWANW/t 14 107N 32W 10.3 .2 7.6 77.7 1.3 3.3 46.9 7.39 4001 5318700 Uatonwan River at La Salle NE'ANE'A 19 107N 31W 7.03 .1 .2 206 1.3 2.8 68.9 6.65 4000 Watonwan River NE'ANW1/* 22 107N 31W 4.42 .0 1.3 210 1.3 2.7 72.3 6.53 1501 5318706 St. James Creek near Odin SE'ASE'A 01 105N 32W 6.59 6.8 7.7 6.59 6.8 7.7 7.62 13.2 1500 St. James Creek NE'ANWA 25 106N 32W 12.6 5.3 5.5 19.2 5.8 6.2 16.9 12.1 Table 1.--Selected characteristics of the Watomran River drainage basin--Continued By subbasin Cumulative to mouth of basin Storage Lake Storage Main Drainage Lake area area Drainage area area Main channel area (percent (percent area (percent (percent channel slope Map Downstream (square subbasin subbasin (square total total length (foot number order no. Stream name Outlet location miles) area) area) miles) area) area) (miles) per mi le) 1700 Tributary to St. James Creek NE'ANWA 25 106N 32W 13.9 0.7 0.8 13.9 0.7 0.8 14.5 10.8 2003 St. James stp Outlet NE'/*NWA 18 106N 31W 12.4 3.1 3.5 45.6 3.5 3.8 19.8 10.9 2002 5318718 St. James Creek near NE'ANE1/* 07 106N 31W 1.60 .6 12 47.2 3.4 4.1 21.9 10.2 St. James 3200 Tributary to Butterfield Creek SE'/*NE'/* 19 106N 33W 7.87 .0 .2 7.87 .0 .2 3.97 17.3 1601 Butterfield stp Outlet SE'/iNW1/* 22 106N 33W 6.21 .0 .6 14.1 .0 .4 8.04 12.2 1600 Butterfield Creek NE'/iNE1/* 12 106N 33W 4.62 .0 .0 18.7 .0 .3 13.4 10.8 3100 Tributary to Butterfield Creek NE'/iNE1/* 12 106N 33W 6.85 2.0 4.8 6.85 2.0 4.8 5.58 14.2 1800 Butterfield Creek SWASW7* 31 107N 31W 17.4 .2 .9 42.9 .4 1.3 23.2 8.01 1900 County Ditch No. 4 SWANWA 31 107N 31W 8.63 .3 .6 8.63 .3 .6 9.89 9.57 2900 Butterfield Creek NWANE'/t 28 107N 31W 6.80 .0 .2 58.4 .3 1.0 28.7 7.00 2001 5318800 St. James Creek near La Salle NWANE'/t 28 107N 31 W 15.9 .6 1.1 121 1.6 2.3 28.8 7.83 2000 St. James Creek NE'/tSWA 22 107N 31W .57 .0 1.1 122 1.5 2.2 30.6 7.63 5300 County Ditch No. 33 NE'/iNE'/i 16 108N 32W 8.44 .0 .3 8.44 .0 .3 6.29 7.62 4100 Judicial Ditch No. 5 SWANE'/t 24 108N 32W 15.6 .0 .1 15.6 .0 .1 7.63 5.77 4300 Tributary to Watonwan River SWASWA 04 107N 31W 16.8 17 19 40.8 7.0 8.0 15.4 2.50 4200 Tributary to Watonwan River SW/tSWA 04 107N 31W 7.00 .0 3.5 6.99 .0 3.5 3.93 5.62 4400 Tributary to Watonwan River SWANWA 29 107N 30W 5.02 .0 .0 52.8 5.4 6.7 21.2 1.91 2800 Watonwan River NE'/tNWA 29 107N 30W 7.71 .4 2.3 393 1.9 3.1 80.2 6.17 5900 Judicial Ditch No. 1 NE'/iSE'/i 23 105N 35W 13.2 3.6 3.6 13.2 3.6 3.6 8.60 12.4 6000 Tributary to Judicial Ditch No.
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