CANNON RIVE R WATE R SHED (MN) HUC: 07040002 Rapid Watershed Assessment Cannon River (MN) HUC: 07040002 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. CANNON RIVE R WATE R SHED (MN) HUC: 07040002 Introduction The Cannon River 8-Digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin is located within the Western Corn Belt Plains and North Central Hardwood Forests Ecoregions of Minnesota. This diverse area boasts the largest remnants of “Big Woods” in the state, and is home to rare species including the endangered Dwarf Trout Lily, which is only found in southeastern Minnesota, primarily in the Cannon River Subbasin. Approximately ninety seven percent of the 946,440 acres in this HUC are privately owned. The remaining acres are county, federal or conservancy lands or covered by open water. Assessment estimates indicate 3,172 Farms in the watershed. Approximately sixty five percent of the operations are less than 180 acres in size, thirty percent are from 180 to 1000 acres in size, and the remaining farms are greater than 1000 acres in size. Fifty nine percent of the producers are full time operators and do not rely on off-farm income. The main resource concerns in the watershed are water and soil quality, animal waste management, nutrient management, stormwater management, sediment and erosion control, wetland management, surface water quality, and groundwater protection. Many of the resource concerns relate directly to agricultural practices and increased development in the region, resulting in fragmentation and increased sediment and pollutant (mercury, fecal coliform, phosphorus, excess nutrients) loadings to surface waters. County Totals County Acres in HUC % HUC Blue Earth 1,706.96 0.18% Dakota 94,834.38 10.08% Dodge 1.89 0.00% Freeborn 8,505.39 0.90% Goodhue 190,423.06 20.23% Le Sueur 92,808.88 9.86% Rice 269,100.90 28.59% Scott 1,453.77 0.15% Steele 231,681.11 24.62% Waseca 50,626.54 5.38% Total acres: 946,440.8 -- 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 CANNON RIVE R WATE R SHED (MN) HUC: 07040002 Physical Description Elevations in the Cannon River watershed range from 1352 feet above mean sea level near the Southeast, sloping to elevations of Relief 667 feet above sea level near the convergence of the Cannon and Mississippi Rivers. Precipitation in the watershed ranges from 29 to 33 inches each year. Evaporation estimates are between 37 to 39 inches annually (Minnesota State Climatologists Office, 1999). Many areas within the watershed have a notable erosion potential, although much of the land within this HUC is not considered highly erodible. Soils are moderately to well suited to agricultural uses. Predominate land covers / uses are Row Crops (60.5%), Grass, Average Precipitation Pasture & Hay (16.08%), Forest (8.79%), Residential / Commercial Development (8.04%), and Wetlands (2.79%) Slightly less than three percent of the HUC is classified as open water. Land use within the watershed is largely agricultural, with crop and pasture lands accounting for approximately 76% of the overall watershed acres. Development pressure is moderate to considerable in some areas, with occasional farms, timberland, and lakeshore being parceled out for recreation, lake or country homes and expanding suburban populations. Ownership/1 Ownership Type Acres % of HUC Conservancy 2243.09 0.24 County 2737.75 0.29 Federal 859.66 0.09 State 18085.03 1.91 Other 42.51 0.00 Tribal - - Private Major 1343.52 0.14 Private 921129.29 97.33 Total Acres: 946440.84 100 * Ownership totals derived from 2007 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 CANNON RIVE R WATE R SHED (MN) HUC: 07040002 Ownership / Land Use The Cannon River watershed covers an area of 946,440 acres. Approximately ninety seven percent of the land in the watershed is owned by private landholders (921,129 acres). The second largest ownership type is State, with approximately 18,085 acres (1.9%), followed by County with 2,738 acres (0.29%), Conservancy with 2,343 acres (0.24%), Private Major with 1,344 acres (0.14%) and Federal, with approximately 860 acres (0.09%). In addition, there are nearly 43 acres of miscellaneously owned or managed public lands, and ownership data shows no major Tribal land holdings in the subbasin. Land use by ownership type is represented in the table below. Land Use / Land Cover /2 Ownership / Land Use /3 Public Private** Tribal Landcover/Use Acres Percent Acres Percent Acres Percent Total Acres Percent Forest 5,934.85 0.6% 77,277.07 8.2% 0.00 0.0% 83211.92 8.79% Grain Crops 0.00 0.0% 0.00 0.0% 0.00 0.0% 0.00 0.00% Grass, etc 5,084.63 0.5% 147,075.92 15.5% 0.00 0.0% 152160.55 16.08% Orchards 0.00 0.0% 0.00 0.0% 0.00 0.0% 0.00 0.00% Row Crops 4,131.24 0.4% 568,858.41 60.1% 0.00 0.0% 572989.64 60.54% Shrub etc 408.97 0.0% 5,589.69 0.6% 0.00 0.0% 5998.66 0.63% Wetlands 4,455.85 0.5% 25,083.75 2.7% 0.00 0.0% 29539.60 3.12% Residential/Commercial 974.10 0.1% 75,159.22 7.9% 0.00 0.0% 76133.32 8.04% Open Water* 728.82 0.1% 25,670.34 2.7% 0.00 0.0% 26399.16 2.79% * ownership undetermined ** includes private-major Totals: 21,718.45 2.29% 924,714 97.71% 0.00 0.00% 946432.84 100.00% 4 CANNON RIVE R WATE R SHED (MN) HUC: 07040002 Physical Description (continued) ACRES cu. ft/sec USGS 05355200 CANNON RIVER 2007 Total Avg. 766.3 Stream Flow Data AT WELCH, MN May – Sept. Avg. 622.4 ACRES/MILES PERCENT Total Miles – Major 1,745 --- Stream Data/4 (100K Hydro GIS Layer) (*Percent of Total HUC 303d/TMDL Listed Streams Stream Miles) 254 7% (DEQ) Dev/Barren 588.2 1.4% Fallow 0 0.0% Forest 5,552.1 13.2% Grain Crops 0.2 0.0% Riparian Grass/Pasture 7,425.3 17.7% Land Cover/Land Use/5 Orchards/Vine 0 0.0% (Based on a 100-foot buffer on both sides of all streams in the Row Crops 17,702.5 42.2% 100K Hydro GIS Layer) Shrub/Range 0.3 0.0% Water 3,587.7 8.5% Wetlands 7,119.4 17.0% Total Buffer Acres 41,975.8 --- 1 – slight limitations 36,800 5% 2 – moderate limitations 400,600 58% 3 – severe limitations 199,600 29% 4 – very severe limitations 30,800 4% 5 – no erosion hazard, but 3,400 0% other limitations Crop and Pastureland 6 – severe limitations; Land Capability Class/6 unsuitable for cultivation; 8,500 1% limited to pasture, range, forest (Croplands & Pasturelands Only) (1997 NRI Estimates for Non-Federal Lands Only) 7 – very severe limitations; unsuitable for cultivation; 8,300 1% limited to grazing, forest, wildlife habitat 8 – miscellaneous areas; limited to recreation, wildlife habitat, 1,200 0% water supply Total Croplands & Pasturelands 688,700 --- % of % of TYPE OF LAND ACRES Crop Lands HUC Cultivated Cropland / Pastureland 19,400 2.82% 2.1% Irrigated Lands/7 (1997 NRI Estimates for Non- Uncultivated Cropland 0 0% 0% Federal Lands Only) Total Irrigated Lands 19,400 2.82% 2.1% 5 CANNON RIVE R WATE R SHED (MN) HUC: 07040002 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 the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to identify and restore impaired waters.