 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Advisory Committee Materials | Planning Commission | Board of Adjustment Files | Floodplain Maps
Water Planning
IT IS A SURPRISING FACT: There are more miles of river in Blue Earth County than any other county in the State of Minnesota. Blue Earth County is truly a river community!
Rivers are important features in the county but we are concerned about the overall health of our local rivers. The rivers function as a natural drainage system with all water that runs off the ground eventually ending up in a river. The rivers are important to wildlife, providing habitat corridors where animals, such as deer and birds, find essential shelter, water and food. Our rivers are also beautiful recreational areas, cutting through many tree-covered valleys, running through farmland, woodlands, and cities.
Three major rivers come together in Blue Earth County and then join the Minnesota River. These rivers, the Blue Earth, LeSueur and Watonwan, have very large watersheds that include 11 counties in Minnesota and part of northern Iowa. Drainage from those areas eventually enters the Blue Earth River and flows through Mankato to the Minnesota River, at Sibley Park. To improve water quality in the Blue Earth River, work must be done not only in Blue Earth County but also upstream - that means south, all the way to Iowa. Smaller rivers, like Perch Creek, Cobb River, Maple River, and their tributaries, are all part of this Blue Earth River system.
The rivers in the watershed run relatively clear when water is low. When rain and snowmelt wash sediment from the land to the river the water becomes darker due to soil particles carried in the water. The higher waters also erode streambanks, adding more soil particles to the river. Excessive nutrients from farm fields and urban lawns cause algae growth.
Federal and State agencies have reorganized programs and funding to be focused on watersheds rather than political boundaries such as cities or counties. Water planning at the county level has been going on for more than ten years. Lake watershed projects have also been working well for more than ten years. Now the trend has moved to the river systems. A monitoring and planning project has been underway in the Blue Earth River, LeSueur River and Watonwan River since 1995. Committees, including people from nine counties, are meeting to develop an implementation plan for the entire watershed. The planning process is intended to avoid future duplication, create a solid partnership among agencies, cities, counties and residents while developing a plan for getting things done on the land.
