Rainy River Basin Information Document December 2001 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Rainy River Basin Information Document Table of Contents Section 1 - Minnesota Water Planning Framework I. Water Planning and Management Framework in Minnesota..................................................I-1 A. County Water Plans and Watershed Management Organization Plans...............I-1 B. Major Watershed Plans .........................................................................................I-2 1. Funding Watershed Planning and Management.............................................I-3 2. Other Watershed-Based Programs .................................................................I-3 a. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Watershed Management Initiative................................................................................I-3 b. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) .........................................................I-3 C. Basin Plans ............................................................................................................I-4 D. Minnesota Watermarks - Gauging the Flow of Progress 2000 - 2010..................I-5 E. Minnesota Nonpoint Source (NPS) Water Pollution Management Program Plan ........................................................................................................................I-5 II. Rainy River Basin Specific Efforts ...........................................................................................I-6 A. Basin Level Planning Activities ..............................................................................I-6 B. Local and Minor Watershed Planning Activities ....................................................I-6 III. How Basin Planning and Management Can Help to Improve Water Management in the Rainy River Basin...............................................................................................................I-6 IV. Preliminary Process to Develop the Rainy River Basin Plan ..................................................I-7 A. Objectives ..............................................................................................................I-7 B. Process Overview ..................................................................................................I-7 C. Planning Committee Mission .................................................................................I-8 V. Commonly Used Acronyms ...................................................................................................I-10 Section 2 - Description of the Rainy River Basin Subsection 1 - Rainy River Basin Overview .................................................................................II-1 I. Ecological Classification Systems (ECS) - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) ......................................................................................................................................II-2 A. Classes in the Rainy River Basin..........................................................................II-3 1. Laurentian Mixed Forest Province..................................................................II-3 2. Plant Communities..........................................................................................II-3 3. Forest Canopy.................................................................................................II-3 4. Shrub Layers...................................................................................................II-4 5. Groundlayer.....................................................................................................II-4 B. Biomes in the Rainy River Basin ..........................................................................II-4 1. Border Lakes ...................................................................................................II-4 a. Landforms .................................................................................................II-5 b. Bedrock Geology.......................................................................................II-5 c. Soils...........................................................................................................II-5 Rainy River Basin Information Document – 2001 Page ii Table of Contents d. Climate ......................................................................................................II-5 e. Hydrology ..................................................................................................II-5 f. Presettlement Vegetation..........................................................................II-5 g. Present Vegetation and Land Use............................................................II-6 h. Natural Disturbance ..................................................................................II-6 2. Laurentian Highlands ......................................................................................II-6 a. Landforms .................................................................................................II-6 b. Bedrock Geology.......................................................................................II-6 c. Soils...........................................................................................................II-7 d. Climate ......................................................................................................II-7 e. Hydrology ..................................................................................................II-7 f. Presettlement Vegetation..........................................................................II-7 g. Present Vegetation and Land Use............................................................II-7 h. Natural Disturbance ..................................................................................II-7 3. Nashwauk Uplands .........................................................................................II-8 a. Landforms .................................................................................................II-8 b. Bedrock Geology.......................................................................................II-8 c. Soils...........................................................................................................II-8 d. Climate ......................................................................................................II-8 e. Hydrology ..................................................................................................II-9 f. Presettlement Vegetation..........................................................................II-9 g. Present Vegetation and Land Use............................................................II-9 h. Natural Disturbance ..................................................................................II-9 4. Little Fork - Vermilion Uplands........................................................................II-9 a. Landforms .................................................................................................II-9 b. Bedrock Geology.......................................................................................II-9 c. Soils.........................................................................................................II-10 d. Climate ....................................................................................................II-10 e. Hydrology ................................................................................................II-10 f. Presettlement Vegetation........................................................................II-10 g. Present Vegetation and Land Use..........................................................II-10 h. Natural Disturbance ................................................................................II-10 5. St. Louis Moraines ........................................................................................II-11 a. Landforms ...............................................................................................II-11 b. Bedrock Geology.....................................................................................II-11 c. Soils.........................................................................................................II-11 d. Climate ....................................................................................................II-11 e. Hydrology ................................................................................................II-11 f. Presettlement Vegetation........................................................................II-12 g. Present Vegetation and Land Use..........................................................II-12 h. Natural Disturbance ................................................................................II-12 6. Chippewa Plains ...........................................................................................II-12 a. Landforms ...............................................................................................II-12 b. Bedrock Geology.....................................................................................II-12 c. Soils.........................................................................................................II-13 d. Climate ....................................................................................................II-13 e. Hydrology ................................................................................................II-13 f. Presettlement Vegetation........................................................................II-13