Watersheds
What is a watershed?
Put simply, a watershed is an area of land that drains to a certain waterbody such as a lake, stream, or river. Another term for watershed is "drainage basin." A watershed management approach recognized that activities within a watershed, even those activities that occur on land, affect water resources within that area. Watershed managers attempt to manage an entire landscape with the ultimate goal of protecting and improving water resources. This holistic approach requires the cooperation of many people and agencies from planners to permitters to business and, especially, to citizens. Establishing common goals amongst this wide variety of interests and coordinating their efforts to achieve positive outcomes is the challenge of watershed management.
Click on the links below learn more about the watershed you live in or view the watershed map in PDF format (390 KB).
The four watersheds in the boundaries of Minneapolis are:
- Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO)
- Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD)
- Bassett Creek Watershed Management Organization (BCWMO)
- Shingle Creek Watershed Management Organization (SCWMO)
Last updated Sep. 27, 2011