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Watershed Management Plan - Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD)

Our Ten-Year Plan

The Watershed Management Plan (WMP) guides how we will work alongside partners toward our vision of a balanced urban ecology in ways that improve water quality, reduce flooding, and benefit people and the communities in which they live, work, and play.

To accomplish this, we must understand the goals and priorities of our communities. That’s why our work is built on the value of partnership and integrates the watershed’s natural resource needs with those of the built environment.

Using data to map the specific issues across the watershed, as well as what drives those issues, the management plan outlines collaborative strategies to improve ecological health and achieve complementary public and private goals.

To review elements of the WMP in a visual format, explore our Watershed Strategies storymap.

Aligning Plans & Investments

Our Goals

Four strategic goals focus and guide our work as an organization and ensure the Plan supports a variety of connected outcomes.

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Water Quality

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Water Quantity

water and plant cycle

Ecological Integrity

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Thriving Communities

Planning in Regional Contexts

MN Statutes require that local government units prepare local water management plans after a watershed management plan is approved or amended, to make sure that all communities are working toward common goals for water resources. This planning framework reflects the legislature’s intent to integrate regional development patterns and natural systems. As the regional water resource authority, MCWD is responsible for understanding the watershed’s natural resources, and coordinating with local governments across our 178-square mile region to align water resource priorities and incorporate our understanding of natural systems into the development landscape.

Read the Plan

The Watershed Management Plan is available for viewing and download. It is organized into three volumes and two appendices.

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Plan Preview

Provides an overview of the WMP in an online booklet format.

WMP Volume 1 cover

Executive Summary

Reviews MCWD purpose, structure, and approach, and outlines primary watershed issues and projects.

WMP Volume 2 cover

Land and Natural Resources Inventory

Includes data on watershed topography, soils, geology, precipitation, water quality, conservation areas, and more.

Implementation Plan

Defines issues, drivers, and management strategies for each of MCWD’s 11 subwatersheds, and establishes priorities based on resource needs.

WMP Appendix A cover

Local Water Plan Requirements 

Describes approach and specific requirements against which MCWD will review local water management plans.

WMP Appendix B

Stakeholder Input Process

Outlines MCWD engagement process for stakeholders, developed to support collaboration with communities to align land use and water resource priorities.