Miscellaneous Water Resources Information

This page contains links to other useful water resources information. GIS data referenced include the locations of water quality and biological monitoring stations, stream gages, discharges to surface water, and water withdrawals. Federal, state, and regional monitoring sites are included.
Links are also provided to web mapping applications that display surface water GIS layers and related gaging and monitoring results. These include the MPCA's Environmental Data Access applications for surface water and the Environmental Protection Agency's EnviroMapper for Water.
'General' links go to topical background information from the DNR and the MPCA, and text-based queries of databases such as EPA's STORET (Water Quality) database, the USGS's National Water Information System, and the Environmental Information Management System maintained by the Metropolitan Council.

Data Resources

  • Hydrography

    Name Source Geographic Area Scale Time Period Data Type

    PCA Environmental Data Access (EDA)

    Water Quality Data Query and mapping site - includes searches of Surface Water Monitoring Sites and Data, and Surface Water Conditions (Assessment Reporting to U.S. EPA).    		 PCA Statewide Various Current Vector GIS, Text, Web application

    MN Department of Agriculture  - surface water quality monitoring stations

    The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is charged with periodically collecting and analyzing water samples from selected locations throughout the state to determine the identity, concentration, and frequency of detections of agricultural chemicals in Minnesota's ground and surface water resources. This file contains the locations of MDA's historical and current surface water monitoring stations.    		 MDA Statewide 1:5,000 2007 Vector GIS

    Water use - Water Appropriations Permit Program

    This constitutes the main data page for the Water Appropriations Permit Program. It contains water use and appropriation graphs, maps and tables along with a compressed (.zip) GIS file of water appropriation installation locations. This file includes both surface water and ground water appropriations.    		 DNR Waters Statewide Various 2006 Vector GIS, Table, GIF

    Environmental Information Management System (EIMS)

    The Environmental Information Management System (EIMS) was created by Met Council Environmental Services to provide information for environmental planning and decision-making for the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area. It includes data on rivers and streams, lakes, industrial activity, wastewater treatment and climate. Monitoring stations and monitoring results are included in the application.    		 Met Council - MCES Twin Cities Metro Area N/A Various Web Application, Text

    MCES Surface Water Monitoring Sites

    This webpage contains point locations for each of the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services' lake, stream, and river quality and quantity monitoring sites. Some of these sites are outside of the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area: Minnesota River watershed near Mankato and along the Mississippi River south from the Twin Cities to Lake Pepin.    		 Met Council - MCES Twin Cities Metro Area primarily N/A 2005 Vector GIS

    WATERS

    The Watershed Assessment, Tracking and Environmental Results System. A web-based GIS application that dynamically displays information about bodies of water in the U.S. The application can be used to view environmental information from the national level down to community level (within one mile), and provides the ability to pan, zoom, label and print maps. Text reports are also available for selected waterbodies of interest.    		 EPA Nationwide Various Various Web application
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  • General

    Name Source Geographic Area Scale Time Period Data Type

    DNR Water Resources Data

    This is the main DNR webpage to water resource data and information. It includes links to groundwater wells, mapping and monitoring, water use and appropriation, stream flow, lake level and climate data.    		 DNR Waters Statewide Various Current Text

    Climatology Working Group

    The Climatology Working Group is a partnership between DNR Waters and University of Minnesota's Department of Soil, Water and Climate. This website offers historical and current climate data for Minnesota.    		 DNR Waters, U of M Dept. of Soil, Water and Climate Statewide Various Current Text

    Ask Waters

    This web application enables the user to query water quality information from EPA's WATERS (Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental ResultS) portal to provide data from several independent and unconnected databases.    		 EPA Nationwide N/A 2006 Text, Web Application

    Water Quality Portal

    The EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) integrates publicly available water-quality data from the USGS, the EPA, and over 400 state, federal, tribal, and local agencies. Users can query and retrieve monitoring data from this site.    		 EPA Nationwide Various Current Text

    EQuIS Data Submittal to PCA

    This page has links and information that describe the process for water quality data submittals to the PCA's Environmental Quality Information System.    		 PCA, EPA Statewide N/A Current Text

    USGS - Water Data for Minnesota (NWISWeb)

    This site provides web-based access to streamflow (stream gaging), lake level, and water quality data at USGS monitoring sites in Minnesota, including access to real-time data for selected sites.    		 USGS Water Resource Office of Minnesota Statewide Various Current Text

    Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES)

    This is the main webpage for the Metropolitan Council's Water Quality Program which monitors rivers, streams, lakes and wastewater treatment in the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area.    		 Met Council Twin Cities Metro Area Various 2006 Text
    *Source abbreviations:
    • BWSR = Board of Water and Soil Resources
    • DNR = Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (may be followed by the division name, e.g. "Waters" for "Division of Waters")
    • EPA = United States Environmental Protection Agency
    • LMIC = Minnesota Land Management Information Center (now MnGeo)
    • Met Council = Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities Metro Area
    • MCES = Metropolitan Council Environmental Services
    • MDA = Minnesota Department of Agriculture
    • MDH = Minnesota Department of Health
    • PCA = Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
    • U of M = University of Minnesota (may be followed by department name, e.g. "Dept. of Soil, Water and Climate")
    • USGS = United States Geological Survey (may be followed by office name, e.g. "Water Resource Office of Minnesota")
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