This layer depicts open water features for lakes and rivers. The geography was initially created from the open water features depicted in the 2005 Generalized Land Use dataset developed by the Metropolitan Council. It is being updated over time with data from a variety of sources. It includes lakes larger than 3 acres and rivers wider than 200 feet. It may also include some smaller open water features as needed by the Metropolitan Council, including all lakes in the Council's lake monitoirng program. This layer does not depict the satutory Ordinary High Water Level of lakes.

NOTES:
- This dataset is derived from the Master Open Water Features dataset published by the Met Council.
- The extent of water features varies seasonally and annually with rainfall. The extent of water shown in this dataset may not reflect the current status of a particular water feature.
- When adding new polygons or modifying existing polygons, we will create boundaries based on recent imagery that we think depicts average water levels. We will NOT try to adjust the boundaries for seasonal variations in water levels.
- Wastewater stabilization ponds, which can be quite large, are not shown in this layer.

To create this raster layer of Minnesota DNR’s original county Public Waters Inventory (PWI) maps, the maps were scanned, their collars removed, and then georectified and mosaiced together into a statewide map. When the collars were removed, the map legends and some labels were removed and there is some overlap of labels at county boundaries. This raster layer shows the general location of the public waters (lakes, wetlands, and watercourses) as mapped on the original PWI maps published in the 1980’s and revised in 1996. The PWI has been further revised since these maps were originally published and a vector GIS layer of the PWI is available on the Minnesota Geospatial Commons at: https://gisdata.mn.gov/dataset/water-mn-public-waters. Public waters are all water basins, wetlands, and watercourses that meet the criteria set forth in Minn. Stat. 103G.005, subd. 15 and subd. 15a. The DNR has regulatory jurisdiction over public waters and the regulatory boundary of a public water is the Ordinary High Water Level (OHWL), as defined in Minn. Stat. 103G.005, subd. 14. Before conducting work in a public water, contact your local DNR area hydrologist for a correct OHWL determination (https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/area_hydros.pdf). Individual original county PWI maps and county PWI lists are available in PDF format at: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/pwi/maps.html.

This shapefile delineates the Bluff Impact Zones (BIZ) of the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA), which include bluffs and land within 20 feet of bluffs as defined in Minnesota Rules, part 6106.0050, subp. 8 and 9.

The MRCCA is a land corridor along the Mississippi River in the seven-county metro area in which special land use regulations guide development activity. The corridor extends 72 miles along the Mississippi River from the cities of Ramsey and Dayton in the north to the City of Hastings and Ravenna Township in the south. It includes 54,000 acres of land along both sides of the river. The State of Minnesota created the corridor and land use regulations in 1976. Local governments administer the regulations through their local plans and zoning ordinances.

Rules regulating the MRCCA were published on December 27, 2016 and became effective January 4, 2017. The rules establish definitions and standards relating to bluffs and bluff impact zones (BIZs) in the MRCCA.

In these rules, bluffs are identified as natural topographic features having:
- A slope that rises at least 25 feet and the grade of the slope averages 18 percent or greater measured over a horizontal distance of 25 feet, where:
----- The slope begins above the ordinary high water level, from the toe of the slope to the top of the slope; or
----- Where the slope begins below the ordinary high water level, from the ordinary high water level to the top of the slope; or
- A natural escarpment or cliff with a slope that rises at least ten feet above the ordinary high water level or toe of the slope, whichever is applicable, to the top of the slope, with a slope of 75 degrees or greater.

The BIZ is defined as the bluff and land within 20 feet of the bluff. Therefore, this feature includes both the land within 20 feet of a bluff and the bluff itself.

Data frame layers that include the data and interpretations for the bedrock topography portion of the publication of the Lac Qui Parle County Geologic Atlas, Part A.The elevation of the bedrock surface in Lac qui Parle County is represented by the colors assigned to 25-foot (7.6-meter) elevation intervals (example: 901-925 feet [275-282 meters] above mean sea level) on the Bedrock Topography map. For any location within a colored unit, the elevation of the bedrock surface is expected to be between the end values depicted on the legend. Elevation ranges are separated by contours, which represent lines of equal elevation. A grid of the bedrock elevation and all contour lines are available in the supplementary digital and GIS files (https://cse.umn.edu/mgs). The position of contour intervals was determined from outcrops, water-well construction records and scientific borings from the County Well Index, rotary-sonic drill core, and passive seismic measurements collected by the Minnesota Geological Survey. Passive seismic measurements have a greater margin of error than drilling records, so it is important to note that the reliability and accuracy of the bedrock topographic surface in any area is directly related to the density and type of available data (see Plate 1, Database Map). Areas with a high density of bedrock control points are likely to have accurate interpretations of the bedrock elevation, whereas those areas with widely spaced control points may be less reliable and inappropriate for site-specific needs. The highest density of data points occurs near populated areas that rely on groundwater for their drinking-water needs. Previous topography contours were assessed in the creation of this map and modified where new data warranted changes (Jirsa and others, 2011).The elevation of the bedrock surface in Lac qui Parle County varies from more than 1,126 feet (343 meters) above sea level in the southwest part of the county to less than 775 feet (236 meters) above sea level within the Minnesota River valley near Lac qui Parle Lake. The total relief of the bedrock surface across the county is approximately 370 feet (113 meters). The bedrock surface is incised by several deep valleys, one broad valley along the southern part of the county, and three narrower valleys in the northeast. The geometry of these narrow valleys indicates they deepen to the northeast, passing into adjacent Swift and Chippewa Counties.The bedrock-elevation surface shown on the Bedrock Topography map represents the elevation of the top unit of bedrock regardless of its age or composition. The uppermost bedrock unit across most of the county is Cretaceous in age. However, there are local areas where the Cretaceous rocks have completely eroded away, leaving Precambrian bedrock or saprolite as the bedrock surface. The Precambrian bedrock topography was also mapped at 25-foot (7.6-meter) intervals (Fig. 1). This surface precisely matches the mapped bedrock topography surface wherever Precambrian rocks are the uppermost bedrock. The highest Precambrian topography elevations occur in the northwest and south-central parts of the county and the lowest occur within a broad valley through the central part of the county.

WARNING: This dataset is very large! You will have to zoom in to the map in order to visualize the features. This is a Restorable Wetland Inventory (RWI) of partially drained delineations. It provides a map of potential restoration sites based on historic wetlands that were partially drained. This layer is a selection from the Minnesota National Wetlands Inventory Modified (MN_NWI_Modified) layer with just the "d" (partially drained) modifier. To view a comprehensive map of restorable wetlands (drainage-modified and drained-eliminated) it is necessary to display the RWI data (https://gis.ducks.org/datasets/duinc::minnesota-restorable-wetlands/) with this layer.

HISTORY: In October 2000, a Restorable Wetlands Working Group formed to begin mapping all of the restorable wetlands in the glaciated tallgrass Prairie Pothole Region of Minnesota and Iowa. Today, fewer than 10% of the original wetlands - once of unparalleled importance to continental waterbird populations - are left in existence. Fortunately, wetlands once drained for agriculture may be restored to many of their historic functions. Restoration of multiple wetland functions is of utmost effectiveness when focused at priority restoration landscapes, therefore data on the historic distribution of wetlands is an integral part of developing strategic regional habitat restoration plans.Opportunistic wetland restorations often fail to attain out expectations for wetland function. Nevertheless, between $70 - $100,000,000 are spent annually in Minnesota for wetland restoration. A strategic plan for wetland restoration can make these expenditures more effective; however, a strategic wetland restoration plan requires a priori information on the distribution and extent of restorable wetlands. The collective goal of the Restorable Wetlands Working Group is the eventual development of a set of multi-agency decision support tools that collectively comprise a comprehensive environmental management plan for wetlands - all based on the same base data layers and developed in joint consultation. An effort is underway to delineate restorable wetlands in all intensively farmed areas of MN and IA.A pilot project determined the best technique to map drained wetlands in agricultural landscapes was photointerpretation. This pilot project evaluated the accuracy of three potential delineation techniques: digital hydric soils databases, digital elevation models, and manual stereoscopic photointerpretation on high-altitude color infrared aerial photographs. The project covered nearly 4,000 square miles of different land forms and wetland characteristics. After mapping was completed, some 1,500 drained wetlands were observed in the field to assess the accuracy of each technique. Only photointerpretation provided reliable results.One area that fell into the pilot study was the Okabena quadrangle in east-central Jackson County in Minnesota. Okabena vividly illustrates the potential of humans to alter the natural landscape. While Okabena historically encompassed more than 8,940 acres of depressional wetland - 27% of the total area of Okabena - after nearly 100 years of agricultural drainage only 1,280 acres of those original wetlands remain, representing an 86% reduction. When empirical models used to estimate duck pairs on individual wetlands are applied to the change from historic to current wetland habitat within Okabena, they estimate a 92% reduction in the habitat potential for common dabbling duck species.The Okabena quadrangle's wetland density once exceeded that of most of the remaining U.S. Prairie Pothole Region. Without strong incentives for wetland conservation and effective methods to delineate high-priority landscapes for restoration, the Okabena quadrangle foretells one possible future for much of the mixed-grass Prairie Pothole Region further west.The Final Status map was completed in 2012.CONTACT INFORMATION:Rex Johnson United States Fish and Wildlife Service 21932 State Highway 210 Fergus Falls, MN 56537 (218) 736-0606 rex_johnson@fws.govPHOTOINTERPRETATION: National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) (1:40,000 scale) color infrared (CIR) photographs acquired in April and May, 1991 and 1992, were viewed in stereo pairs at 5X magnification using a Cartographic Engineering stereoscope. A Mylar overlay was mounted on one photo of each stereo pair and a rectangular work area was delineated on the overlay comprising one-quarter of a USGS 7.5 min topographic quadrangle. A minimum of 4 fiduciary marks were placed on the overlay to enable geographic rectification of digital data covering the work area. One fiduciary mark was placed at the corner of the US Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5 min quadrangle and others at conspicuous road intersections near the other 3 corners of the work area. Drained depressional wetlands were delineated on the Mylar overlay within the work area using a 6X0 (.13 mm diameter) rapidograph pen and indelible ink. Collateral data was consulted during the delineation process. These data consisted of published county soil surveys and descriptions of hydric soils, USDA Farm Service Agency compliance slides (aerial 35 mm slides) acquired in 1993 (immediately after a period of intense precipitation), USGS 7.5 min topographic maps, and National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) maps. Black and white NAPP photographs (1:40,000 scale) acquired primarily in August and September, 1996, were reviewed and rejected as collateral data because they were acquired under dry conditions. Other specific photointerpretation protocols were:All drained depressional wetlands, regardless of size, were delineated.NWI-delineated wetlands with a Ad@ (partially drained) modifier in the classification code were not delineated unless the original delineation failed to encompass the complete historic wetland area.NWI-delineated wetlands that did not contain a Ad@ modifier in the classification code were delineated if the original delineation did not include the entire historic wetland area.Wetlands identified on NWI maps which did not exhibit wetland characteristics (i.e. hydrology, hydrophytes, etc) on new (1992) CIR photography were delineated even if no evidence of drainage was apparent.Wetlands not delineated on NWI maps, and in cropland, were delineated.Wetlands not delineated on NWI maps, and in grassland, were not delineated unless evidence of drainage was observed on the aerial photo.Wetlands not delineated on NWI maps, and in trees, were not delineated. TOLERANCES: Scanned line data were converted to a polygon using a 6 m fuzzy tolerance. Open polygons were manually closed and cleaned with a 1.2 m fuzzy tolerance which was used for all subsequent data processing.Datafile Description and Attribute DefinitionsDATAFILE DESCRIPTION: National Wetlands Inventory delineations (see https://www.fws.gov/program/national-wetlands-inventory/wetlands-mapper for NWI delineation standards). Note: Wetland classifications in these data often differ slightly from the original NWI classification. NWI wetland classifications were simplified for these data by removing mixed classes and multiple special modifiers, and by standardizing letter case. In each case of mixed classes and multiple special modifiers, the first class or special modifier was retained.ATTRIBUTE DEFINITIONS: pl_attribute - simplified NWI classification

major - 2-digit watershed code assigned by MN Department of Natural Resources in their Minnesota Watersheds coverage, circa 1999 (file name -- mnwshpy3)

majname - major watershed name assigned by MN Department of Natural Resources in their Minnesota Watersheds coverage, circa 1999

province - 1-digit province number assigned by MN Department of Natural Resources in their Minnesota Watersheds coverage, circa 1999

provname - watershed province name assigned by MN Department of Natural Resources in their Minnesota Watersheds coverage, circa 1999County Name – The name of the county in which the center of the polygon is located. Restorable - 0 = Islands and the Universal Polygon 100 = Restorable depressional wetland delineated using protocols described aboveNote: A 'd' special modifier in pl_attribute of [County_Name]_nwx indicates a wetland effected by drainage. NWI-delineated wetlands were only re-delineated in the Restorable Wetland Inventory if one of the following conditions applied: 1. The historic basin footprint was significantly larger than the NWI delineation with the 'd' modifier; or 2. The NWI delineation did not include a 'd' modifier and evidence of drainage was visible during the Restorable Wetland Inventory.