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Kandiyohi County Wetlands

Water is one of Minnesota’s most important and most visible natural resources. Water underpins much of the state’s economy and provides its citizens and visitors with a wide variety of recreational options. Compared to many parts of the United States, Minnesota contains a high diversity of water resource types, ranging from large rivers to small streams, cold water to warm water lakes, many diff erent wetland types, and groundwater. This is due to Minnesota’s glacial history and diversity of landforms. This aquatic diversity, across seven aquatic ecoregions supports an impressive range of plant and animal species. Prior to European settlement and the subsequent population expansion a wide range of natural or baseline water resource conditions could be documented in the state.

Water bodies ranged from naturally oligotrophic waters with low nutrients, low productivity and high water clarity to naturally eutrophic waters with high nutrient concentrations, high productivity and low water clarity. Lake Superior is one of the most oligotrophic systems in world. Minnesota’s shallow lakes are naturally eutrophic. Not all pre-settlement water conditions were pristine. Many water bodies were not clear due to naturally occurring concentrations of arsenic, salt, methane, radon, radium and dissolved solids. As eff orts move forward to conserve and improve the quality and quantity of Minnesota’s water resources, it will be important to distinguish these natural variations from those caused by human activities.

The current condition of Minnesota’s water resources is quite different from the pre-settlement era. The clearing of the land, conversion of the land to agricultural systems and urban/suburban development have all had a direct impact on water resources.

It is currently estimated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) that approximately 40% of Minnesota’s rivers, lakes, and streams are considered “impaired” under the Clean Water Act, and do not meet water quality standards. The hydrologic cycle and the natural balance between surface water and groundwater has been disturbed. It is estimated that nearly 95% of the wetlands in the state have been drained. An example of this is found in Figure 3, which shows the number of former wetlands that could be restored in Kandyohi County.

Surface Water and Ground Water Connectedness

The quantity of both surface water and ground water varies naturally across the state due to variations in climate and geology. These two systems are highly interconnected with significant changes to one reflected in the other. Baseflow in rivers, the flow that occurs after runoff and drainage from rainstorms or snowmelt have ceased, is in reality ground water that drains to surface channels. Current recharge rates for Minnesota’s groundwater are depicted in Figure 4, below.

Nonsustainable withdrawal of groundwater can have significant impacts on surface waters. Over-pumping of groundwater in the Twin Cities metro area has caused decreased baseflow in trout streams, forcing the relocation of groundwater wells. In many parts of the state, groundwater pumping has threatened calcareousfens. In north central Minnesota water use permits were not renewed after wetlands were impacted by groundwater pumping for irrigation. Surface water is typically managed on a watershed basis, recognizing that surface water does not cross watershed boundaries.

Managing ground water and aquifers will require that we recognize the boundaries of the aquifer, and the land area that contributes water to the aquifer. Those boundaries are determined by the arrangement of water-bearing and water-confining geologic materials (see Figure 5, facing page). Most aquifers and confining units in Minnesota have not been mapped. This deficiency precludes understanding of aquifer capacity, recharge rates, and land areas contributing water to aquifers that is required to manage these resources. Although these two systems are interconnected, most of the drivers of change to the overall resource act primarily on one or the other and they are discussed separately in this report. Where a driver impacts both systems, it is discussed within the system where it has the larger impact.

Minnesota has an abundance of surface water (see Figure 1, page 58): 93,000 miles of rivers, streams and ditches; approximately 870,000 wetlands covering 10 million acres; and 3 million acres of lakes larger than 10 acres, about 13,000 in all. Minnesota’s rivers, streams and ditches are fed by surface runoff , as well as by springs and basefl ow from shallow and deep aquifers. Annual runoff varies from one inch in parts of western Minnesota to 9 inches in southeastern Minnesota and up to 16 inches along portions of Lake Superior. Runoff is highly variable, largely in response to snowmelt, rainfall and evaporation patterns.

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