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Rapid Watershed Assessment Resource Profile Le Sueur (MN) HUC: 07020011

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Rapid Watershed Assessment Resource Profile Le Sueur (MN) HUC: 07020011 LE SUEUR WATER S HED (MN) HUC: 07020011 Rapid Watershed Assessment Resource Profile Le Sueur (MN) HUC: 07020011 Rapid watershed assessments provide initial estimates of where conservation investments would best address the concerns of landowners, conservation districts, and other community organizations and stakeholders. These assessments help land–owners and local leaders set priorities and determine the best actions to achieve their goals. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20250-9410, or call 1 (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. LE SUEUR WATER S HED (MN) HUC: 07020011 Introduction The Le Sueur River rises in northwestern Freeborn County and initially flows northwardly through extreme southwest Steele County into Waseca County, then meandering westerly into Blue Earth County. The Le Sueur emptys into the Blue Earth River southwest of Mankato approximately three miles upstream of the convergence of the Blue Earth and Minnesota Rivers. Pollution of surface waters in the Minnesota River’s major watersheds is a moderate to severe problem. The Blue Earth River and its major tributaries, such as the Le Sueur, are having a large impact on the Minnesota River which in turn contributes large amounts of pollution to the Mississippi River. The main resource concerns in the watershed are sediment and erosion control, stormwater management, drinking and source water protection, drainage management, waste management, nutrient management, surface water quality and wetland management. Many of the resource concerns relate directly to topography, agricultural practices and increased development in the region resulting in increased sediment and pollutant loadings to surface and ground waters. County Totals County HUC Acres % HUC Le Sueur 2,137 0.3% Blue Earth 235,925 33.4% Waseca 225,305 31.9% Steele 17,786 2.5% Faribault 156,047 22.1% Freeborn 69,052 9.8% Total Acres: 706,252 100% The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 2 LE SUEUR WATER S HED (MN) HUC: 07020011 Physical Description Relief The Le Sueur watershed is located in the Minnesota River Prairie subsection of Minnesota’s ecological classification system. Soils in this HUC are predominantly glacial till plains. Average elevation in the watershed is 1126 feet above sea level, with the highest values being in the Eastern and Southeastern portions of the watershed, while the lowest are found across the central and Western regions approaching the Minnesota River Valley. Precipitation in the watershed ranges from 29 to 33 inches annually. Most lands within this watershed are not highly erodible, and are well to moderately well suited to agricultural uses. Predominate land uses / land covers are row crops (83%), Residential / Commercial Development (6.5%), Grass/ Average Precipitation Pasture/Hay (4%), Wetlands (3.5%), and Open Water (2%). Land use within the Le Sueur watershed is primarily agricultural, accounting for approximately 87% of the available acres. Two-year corn/soybean rotations comprise approximately 93% of cropped lands within the watershed; small grains, hay, grasslands, and lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) make up the majority of the balance. Development pressure is moderate, with increasing farms and shoreline being parceled out for recreation or country homes. Ownership/1 Ownership Type Acres % of HUC Conservancy - - County 421 0.1 Federal 874 0.1 State 23,333 3.3 Other Public - - Tribal - - Private Major - - Private 681,624 96.5 Total Acres: 706,252 100 * Ownership totals derived from 2009 MN DNR GAP Stewardship data and are the best suited estimation of land stewardship available on a statewide scale at time of publication. See the bibliography section of this document for further information. 3 LE SUEUR WATER S HED (MN) HUC: 07020011 Ownership / Land Use The Le Sueur watershed covers an area of 706,252 acres. Approximately ninety seven percent of the land in the watershed is owned by private landholders (681,624 acres). The second largest ownership type is State, with approximately 23,330 acres (3.3%), followed by Federal with 874 acres (0.12%), and County owned lands amounting to 421 acres (0.06%). Land Use by ownership type is represented in the table below. Land Use / Land Cover /2 Land use by ownership type is represented in the table below. Ownership / Land Use /3 Public Private** Tribal Landcover/Use Acres % Public Acres % Private Acres % Tribal Total Acres Percent Forest 301 0.0% 9,939 1.4% 0 0.0% 10,240 1.4% Grass, etc 4,537 0.6% 22,241 3.1% 0 0.0% 26,778 3.8% Orchards 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Row Crops 15,333 2.2% 568,522 80.5% 0 0.0% 583,855 82.7% Shrub etc 17 0.0% 730 0.1% 0 0.0% 747 0.1% Wetlands 2,919 0.4% 21,508 3.0% 0 0.0% 24,427 3.5% Residential/Commercial 842 0.1% 44,945 6.4% 0 0.0% 45,787 6.5% Open Water* 664 0.1% 13,749 1.9% 0 0.0% 14,413 2.0% * ownership undetermined ** includes private-major Watershed Totals: 24,613 3.49% 681,635 96.5% 0 0.0% 706,252 100% 4 LE SUEUR WATER S HED (MN) HUC: 07020011 Physical Description (continued) ACRES Cu. ft/sec 2008 Total Avg. 826.9 USGS 05320500 LE SUEUR 2008 Stream Flow Data May – Sept. Avg. 808.6 RIVER NEAR RAPIDAN, MN 2008 Peak 5,610 ACRES/MILES PERCENT Total Stream Miles 1,260 --- (24K NHD Layer) /4 Stream Data 2009 303d/TMDL (* % of 24k Stream Miles 96.6 4.6%* Listed Streams (MPCA) ** % 24k lake surface area) TMDL Lakes Surface 5,109 33%** Area (Acres) Land Use Type Acres Percent Forest 1,160 4.4% Grain Crops 0 0.0% Grass, etc 2,869 10.8% Riparian Orchards 0 0.0% Land Cover/Land Use/5 Row Crops 13,186 49.8% (Based on a 100-foot buffer on both sides of all streams in the Shrub etc 54 0.2% Streams Layer) Wetlands 6,115 23.1% Residential/Commercial 1,511 5.7% Open Water* 1,576 6.0% Total Buffer Acres: 26,471 100% 1 – slight limitations 80,400 13% 2 – moderate limitations 372,600 60% 3 – severe limitations 147,000 24% 4 – very severe limitations 9,300 2% 5 – no erosion hazard, but 2,200 0% other limitations Crop and Pastureland 6 – severe limitations; Land Capability Class/6 unsuitable for cultivation; 1,200 0% limited to pasture, range, forest (Croplands & Pasturelands Only) (1997 NRI Estimates for Non-Federal Lands Only) 7 – very severe limitations; unsuitable for cultivation; 4,800 1% limited to grazing, forest, wildlife habitat 8 – miscellaneous areas; limited to recreation, wildlife habitat, 1,900 0% water supply Total Croplands & Pasturelands 619,400 - 5 LE SUEUR WATER S HED (MN) HUC: 07020011 Assessment of Waters Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act states that water bodies with impaired use(s) must be placed on a state’s impaired waters list. A water body is “Impaired” or polluted when it fails to meet one or more of the Federal Clean Water Act’s water quality standards. Federal Standards exist for basic pollutants such as sediment, bacteria, nutrients, and mercury. The Clean Water Act requires States to identify and restore impaired waters. The primary tool for addressing impaired waters is a pollution reduction plan called a Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL. 2009 TMDL Listed Waters - Le Sueur River Watershed/8 Listed Water Impairment Affected Use Le Sueur River: Maple River Acetochlor, Mercury, PCBs, Aquatic Consumption, Aquatic Life, to Blue Earth River Turbidity Aquatic Recreation Little Beauford Ditch: Headwaters Acetochlor, Mercury, PCBs, Aquatic Consumption, Aquatic Life, to Cobb River Turbidity Aquatic Recreation Little Cobb River: Bull Run Creek Aquatic Consumption, Aquatic Life, to Cobb River Fish IBI, Mercury, Turbidity Aquatic Recreation Le Sueur River: CD 6 to Cobb River Turbidity Aquatic Life Rice Creek: Headwaters to Maple River Fish IBI Aquatic Life Maple River: Rice Cr to Aquatic Life, Le Sueur River Turbidity Aquatic Recreation Cobb River: T107 R26W S30, west line to Le Sueur River Turbidity Aquatic Life Cobb River: T104 R23W S34W, south line to Little Cobb River Fish IBI Aquatic Life Madison Mercury Aquatic Consumption Bass Mercury Aquatic Consumption Madison Mercury Aquatic Consumption Lura Mercury, Nutrients/Eutrophication Aquatic Consumption, Aquatic Recreation Elysian Mercury, Nutrients/Eutrophication Aquatic Recreation 6 LE SUEUR WATER S HED (MN) HUC: 07020011 Common Resource Areas The Le Sueur River Watershed encompasses two common resource areas, CRAs 103.1 and 103.2 /9 103.1 Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies: Primarily loamy glacial till soils with scattered lacustrine areas, potholes, outwash and flood plains.
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