Minnesota River Headwaters Watershed Characterization Report MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF ECOLOGICAL AND WATER RESOURCES 1 2019 Contents List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Table of Tables .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Watershed Characterization ................................................................................................................... 11 Geology ............................................................................................................................................... 12 High Value Resources .......................................................................................................................... 15 Rare Natural Features ......................................................................................................................... 16 Native Plant Communities .................................................................................................................. 17 Connections to the Watershed ........................................................................................................... 18 Study Background ................................................................................................................................... 18 Hydrology ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Connectivity ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Geomorphology ...................................................................................................................................... 22 Methods ...................................................................................................................................................... 24 Hydrology ................................................................................................................................................ 24 Watersheds ......................................................................................................................................... 24 Land Use .............................................................................................................................................. 25 Tile Drainage Permit Inventory ........................................................................................................... 25 Precipitation ........................................................................................................................................ 25 Double Mass Curve ............................................................................................................................. 25 Discharge Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 26 Ground Water Usage .......................................................................................................................... 26 Connectivity ............................................................................................................................................ 26 Longitudinal Connectivity ................................................................................................................... 26 Lateral Connectivity ............................................................................................................................ 26 Geomorphology ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Field Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 27 Office Methods ................................................................................................................................... 28 Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 29 Hydrology ................................................................................................................................................ 29 2 Land Use .............................................................................................................................................. 29 Tile Drainage Permit Inventory ........................................................................................................... 31 Precipitation ........................................................................................................................................ 34 Stream Flow ........................................................................................................................................ 42 Water Use ........................................................................................................................................... 50 Connectivity ............................................................................................................................................ 55 Longitudinal Connectivity ................................................................................................................... 55 Lateral Connectivity ............................................................................................................................ 62 Geomorphology ...................................................................................................................................... 63 Little Minnesota River ......................................................................................................................... 64 Fish Creek ............................................................................................................................................ 69 Upper Stony Run Creek ....................................................................................................................... 72 Lower Stony Run Creek ....................................................................................................................... 74 Whetstone River ................................................................................................................................. 77 North Fork Yellow Bank River Gage .................................................................................................... 80 South Fork Yellow Bank River Gage .................................................................................................... 82 Yellow Bank River Gage ....................................................................................................................... 84 Five Mile Creek - County Ditch #2 ....................................................................................................... 86 Five Mile Creek – Shible Lake .............................................................................................................. 88 Upper Five Mile Creek ......................................................................................................................... 91 Lower Five Mile Creek ......................................................................................................................... 93 Upper Emily Creek............................................................................................................................... 95 Lower Emily Creek ............................................................................................................................... 97 Restoration and Protection Strategies ........................................................................................................ 99 Correlated Planning Efforts ................................................................................................................... 101 Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan ............................................................................................... 101 3 List of Acronyms AUID – Assessment Unit Identification BANCS – Bank Assessment for Non-point source Consequences of Sediment BEHI – Bank Erosion Hazard Index bgy – Billion Gallons a Year BHR – Bank Height Ratio cfs – Cubic Feet per Second DEMs- Digital Elevation Models DMC – Double Mass Curve FFC – Flood Flow Confinement GNIS – Geographic Names Information System GPS – Global Positioning System HUC – Hydrologic Unit Code IBI – Index of Biotic Integrity IWM – Intensive Watershed Monitoring JD – Judicial Ditch KRET – Cretaceous Bedrock Aquifer LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging LGU – Local Government Unit MGIO – Minnesota Geospatial Informational Office mgy – Million Gallons a Year MNDNR – Minnesota Department