The MNDNR Watershed Suite is a collection of watershed delineations at various levels, flow network lines, and pour points. This is the newest version updated in 2023. Follow the links below to the individual metadata pages for each layer:

MNDNR Watersheds
MNDNR Level 01 - HUC 02: dnr_watersheds_dnr_level_01_huc_02.html
MNDNR Level 02 - HUC 04: dnr_watersheds_dnr_level_02_huc_04.html
MNDNR Level 04 - HUC 08 - Majors: dnr_watersheds_dnr_level_04_huc_08_majors.html
MNDNR Level 07 - Minors: dnr_watersheds_dnr_level_07_minors.html
MNDNR Level 08 - All Catchments: dnr_watersheds_dnr_level_08_all_catchments.html
MNDNR Level 09 - DNR AutoCatchments: dnr_watersheds_auto_catchments.html

Minnesota Hydrologic Units
Flow Network Lines: dnr_watersheds_catchment_flow_lines.html
Pour Points: dnr_watersheds_catchment_pour_points.html

The "Map Image Layer - Watershed Boundaries" is the Map Image Layer of Watershed Boundaries. It has been designed specifically for use in ArcGIS Online (and will not directly work in ArcMap or ArcPro). This data has been modified from the original source data to serve a specific business purpose. This data is for cartographic purposes only.The Watershed Boundaries Data Group contains the following layers: DNR Catchments (MnDNR)HUC 12 Boundaries (USGS)HUC 12 IWM Group Boundaries (MPCA)HUC 10 Boundaries (USGS)HUC 8 Boundaries (USGS): HUC 8s represent part or all of a surface drainage basin, a combination of drainage basins, or a distinct hydrologic feature. There are 80 HUC 2s in Minnesota. (i.e. Zumbro (07040004))HUC 6 Boundaries (USGS): HUC 6s are areas which divide the subregions into more than 350 hydrologic accounting units. Minnesota has 17 of the nations hydrologic accounting units: Northwestern Lake Superior (040101), St. Louis (040102), Southwestern Lake Superior (040103), Mississippi Headwaters (070101), Upper Mississippi-Crow-Rum (070102), Minnesota (070200), St. Croix (070300), Upper Mississippi-Black-Root (070400), Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa-Plum (070600), Upper Mississippi-Skunk-Wapsipinicon (070801), Iowa (070802), Des Moines (071000), Upper Red (090201), Lower Red (090203), Rainy (090300), Big Sioux (101702), Missouri-Little Sioux (102300).HUC 4 Boundaries (USGS): HUC 4s are geographic subregions which are drained by a river system, a reach of river and its tributaries in that reach, a closed basin, or a group of streams forming a coastal drainage areas. Minnesota has 12 of the nations 222 subregions: Western Lake Superior (0401), Mississippi Headwaters (0701), Minnesota (0702), St. Croix (0703), Upper Mississippi-Black-Root (0704), Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa-Plum (0706), Upper Mississippi-Iowa-Skunk-Wapsipinicon (0708), Des Moines (0710), Red (0902), Rainy (0903), Missouri-Big Sioux (1017), Missouri-Little Sioux (1023).HUC 2 Boundaries (USGS): HUC 2s are geographic regions which contain the drainage of a major river or a series of rivers. Minnesota has 4 of the nations 21 regions: Great Lakes (R04), Upper Mississippi (R07), Souris-Red-Rainy (R09), and Missouri (R10).These datasets have not been optimized for fast display (but rather they maintain their original shape/precision), therefore it is recommend that filtering is used to show only the features of interest. For more information about using filters please see "Work with map layers: Apply Filters": https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/create-maps/apply-filters.htmFor additional information about the Watershed Boundary Dataset please see:United States Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2294: https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/wsp2294/Hydrologic Units, The National Atlas of the United State of America: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/hydrologic_units/pdf/hydrologic_units.pdfNational Hydrography Dataset, Watershed Boundary Dataset: https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/national-hydrography/watershed-boundary-dataset

This file contains five metrics that were selected to collectively represent the adaptive capacity of each of the 360 HUC-8 watersheds in US Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin). The metrics were: percent cultivated, density of dams, projected increase in developed land cover, landscape diversity and local connectedness. Percent cultivated land cover was obtained from the National Agricultural Statistics Services 2018 Cultivated layer and was calculated by dividing the number of cultivated grid cells by the total number of grid cells in each watershed. Density of dams was calculated as the number of dams per area of the watershed using the 2018 National Inventory of Dams from The Army Corps of Engineers. Projected increase in develop land cover was estimated using projections of future land cover developed using the USGS’s FORE-SCE model for the conterminous United States by taking the total number of gri ...

The "Map Image Layer - Watershed Boundaries" is the Map Image Layer of Watershed Boundaries. It has been designed specifically for use in ArcGIS Online (and will not directly work in ArcMap or ArcPro). This data has been modified from the original source data to serve a specific business purpose. This data is for cartographic purposes only.The Watershed Boundaries Data Group contains the following layers: DNR Catchments (MnDNR)HUC 12 Boundaries (USGS)HUC 12 IWM Group Boundaries (MPCA)HUC 10 Boundaries (USGS)HUC 8 Boundaries (USGS): HUC 8s represent part or all of a surface drainage basin, a combination of drainage basins, or a distinct hydrologic feature. There are 80 HUC 2s in Minnesota. (i.e. Zumbro (07040004))HUC 6 Boundaries (USGS): HUC 6s are areas which divide the subregions into more than 350 hydrologic accounting units. Minnesota has 17 of the nations hydrologic accounting units: Northwestern Lake Superior (040101), St. Louis (040102), Southwestern Lake Superior (040103), Mississippi Headwaters (070101), Upper Mississippi-Crow-Rum (070102), Minnesota (070200), St. Croix (070300), Upper Mississippi-Black-Root (070400), Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa-Plum (070600), Upper Mississippi-Skunk-Wapsipinicon (070801), Iowa (070802), Des Moines (071000), Upper Red (090201), Lower Red (090203), Rainy (090300), Big Sioux (101702), Missouri-Little Sioux (102300).HUC 4 Boundaries (USGS): HUC 4s are geographic subregions which are drained by a river system, a reach of river and its tributaries in that reach, a closed basin, or a group of streams forming a coastal drainage areas. Minnesota has 12 of the nations 222 subregions: Western Lake Superior (0401), Mississippi Headwaters (0701), Minnesota (0702), St. Croix (0703), Upper Mississippi-Black-Root (0704), Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa-Plum (0706), Upper Mississippi-Iowa-Skunk-Wapsipinicon (0708), Des Moines (0710), Red (0902), Rainy (0903), Missouri-Big Sioux (1017), Missouri-Little Sioux (1023).HUC 2 Boundaries (USGS): HUC 2s are geographic regions which contain the drainage of a major river or a series of rivers. Minnesota has 4 of the nations 21 regions: Great Lakes (R04), Upper Mississippi (R07), Souris-Red-Rainy (R09), and Missouri (R10).These datasets have not been optimized for fast display (but rather they maintain their original shape/precision), therefore it is recommend that filtering is used to show only the features of interest. For more information about using filters please see "Work with map layers: Apply Filters": https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/create-maps/apply-filters.htmFor additional information about the Watershed Boundary Dataset please see:United States Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2294: https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/wsp2294/Hydrologic Units, The National Atlas of the United State of America: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/hydrologic_units/pdf/hydrologic_units.pdfNational Hydrography Dataset, Watershed Boundary Dataset: https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/national-hydrography/watershed-boundary-dataset

The "Map Image Layer - Watershed Approach Schedule" is the Map Image Layer of the Watershed Approach Schedule. It has been designed specifically for use in ArcGIS Online (and will not directly work in ArcMap or ArcPro).The State of Minnesota uses a "Watershed Approach" to assess and address the water quality of each of the state’s 80 major watersheds on a 10-year cycle. In each cycle of the Watershed Approach, rivers, lakes, and wetlands across the watershed are monitored and assessed, water body restoration and protection strategies and local plans are developed, and conservation practices are implemented. Watershed Approach work starts in approximately eight major watersheds each year.The information for each HUC 8 watershed can be found in the Watershed Approach Schedule pop-up. For example:"Watershed Approach work for Cycle 1 started in 2012 in the Zumbro River Watershed (07040004).""Watershed Approach work for Cycle 2 started in 2022 in the Zumbro River Watershed (07040004)."This data has been modified from the original source data to serve a specific business purpose. This data is for cartographic purposes only.

This repository contains data for HUC 8 priority watersheds in the Mississippi River Basin core states (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin). Nitrate monitoring data in receiving streams and rivers in each priority watershed from 2000-2015 was collected from Water Quality Portal. Watershed metadata are included in the PriorityWatershed_Metadata file. Results of time series analysis (Seasonal Mann-Kendall test) for watersheds with sufficient data are detailed in SMK_results, SMKmonth_results, and SMKmonth_Trend_results files. All analyses were conducted in R within the attached R script file.

This dataset contains linear features representing watercourse segments generated from a LiDAR-derived DEM (Digital Elevation Model). Features are defined from confluence-to-confluence and have accurate flow direction. Watercourse IDs (DNR Kittle Numbers) are currently being added so that measured watercourse routes can be generated. Data is currently available for DNR Major Watersheds #1 - Lake Superior North (HUC8 04010101 Baptism-Brule) and #2 Lake Superior - South (HUC8 04010102 Beaver-Lester) only.

Recent efforts by the DNR Geospatial Water Resources Team (gWRT) http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watersheds/wrt.html have focused on the development of methodology to derive new hydrography (i.e., watercourses, watershed boundaries) from LiDAR data sources. The increased level of detail, accuracy and currentness of the LiDAR elevation data produces features that much better reflect the current hydrography of Minnesota's landscape. This is the first vector product generated from LiDAR for inclusion into MNDNR's NextGeneration Hydrography dataset.

SCALE
The Category 1 features in this dataset correspond, approximately, to DNR 24K (1:24,000) scale hydrography features and generally represent perennial and intermittent streams and ditches (although stream types haven't been determined for LiDAR-derived watercourses). A flow accumulation threshold value >= 10,000 m was used to extract these linear features from a hydrologically-modified LiDAR-derived 1m DEM (hDEM). This is equivalent to a drainage area of ~ 2.47 acres. Additional water conveyance features and flow paths were derived which meet smaller flow accumulation threshold values, although these categories are not yet complete. See Contact Person Information (below) for information about these additional features.

CARTOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION
The data is presented in both original (unsmoothed) and smoothed versions. The smoothing process used was ArcToolbox: Cartography: Generalization: Smooth Line (PAEK method, 5m tolerance). This tool removes sharp angles in linear features (from the raster to vector conversion process) to improve cartographic quality. Users should note that the smoothing process can potentially move or reshape a watercourse feature in such a way that it no longer matches the original LiDAR source. A small tolerance limit (5m) was used here to minimize such errors. Results indicate that the smoothing process reduced feature lengths across the two major watersheds by a mean percentage of - 6.51% (loss). To retain true watercourse lengths for calculations, etc., the [LENGTH_MI] attribute gives the length of the original UNSMOOTHED linear feature. The [SMOOTHED_MI] attribute gives the length of the smoothed feature, while the [PERCENT_CHNG] field provides the percentage change (loss) in length due to the smoothing process.

FUNDING
This project was funded in part by the Coastal Management Act of 1972, as amended, by NOAA's Office for Coastal Management in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program.

These environmental data and related items of information have not been formally disseminated by NOAA and do not represent and should not be construed to represent any agency determination, view, or policy.

This project was funded in part by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency through the Clean Water Fund from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

This project was coordinated to support the 2015 Lake Superior Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) goals under High Quality Habitats, "Integrate spatial data standards and methodologies to identify and prioritize sites for habitat protection and rehabilitation and develop targeted geomatics products for lakewide action and management."

Moving Forward (2017): The gWRT is currently seeking funding to continue generation of LiDAR-derived hydrography across the state.

The [watershed name] watershed ([huc8]) drains approximately [# acres] acres of land (in Minnesota) into the [name of major river or lake] which eventually flows to the [name of region]. This area includes [# of populated places] populated places (e.g. [list of a few populated places]) and portions of [# of counties] counties ([list all county names]).