Miscellaneous Water Resources Information

Image rivers, lakes, and stream gages

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.
 

Categories

Hydrography: GIS data and web mapping applications

General: General text background information, web-based text searches of significant water databases

 

Hydrography

Name

Source*

Geographic Area

Scale

Time Period

Data Type

Description
PCA Environmental Data Access (EDA) PCA Statewide Various Current Text, Web application

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).
Environmental Data Access (EDA) - water quality monitoring  and USGS stream flow stations
 		 PCA Statewide 1:24,000 2006 Vector GIS

Data for download includes the locations of surface water monitoring stations used in the EDA water application, including  "lake", "stream", "biological" and "discharge" PCA monitoring station types. Locations of  USGS stream flow stations are also included in the Monitoring stations dataset. Also available for download are shapefiles of the Assessed Waters and Impaired Waters, as reported by PCA to the EPA under Clean Water Act reporting.
MN Department of Agriculture  - surface water quality monitoring stations
 		 MDA Statewide 1:5,000 2007 Vector GIS

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.
Water use - Water Appropriations Permit Program DNR Waters Statewide Various 2006 Vector GIS, Table, GIF
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.

Environmental Information Management System (EIMS)

 Met Council - MCES Twin Cities Metro Area N/A 2005 Web Application, Text

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. A plug-in is required to access database search results.
MCES Surface Water Monitoring Sites Met Council - MCES Twin Cities Metro Area primarily N/A 2005 Vector GIS
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.
MCES Rain Gage Sites Met Council - MCES Twin Cities Metro Area primarily N/A 2007 Vector GIS

File contains point locations for each of the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services' rain gage sites (existing and previous). 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.

Volunteer Stream Monitoring Partnership Sites Met Council - MCES Twin Cities Metro Area N/A 2003 Vector GIS
File contains point locations for each of the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Partnership's monitoring sites within the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area.

EnviroMapper for Water

 EPA Nationwide Various 2006 Web application

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.

 

 

General

Name

Source*

Geographic Area

Scale

Time Period

Data Type

Description
DNR Water Resources Data DNR Waters Statewide Various Current Text

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.
Climatology Working Group DNR Waters, U of M Dept. of Soil, Water and Climate Statewide Various Current Text

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.
Ask Waters EPA Nationwide N/A 2006 Text, Web Application
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.
STORET EPA Nationwide Various Current Text
STORET (STOrage and RETrieval) is the EPA's largest computerized environmental data repository for water quality, biological, and physical data. Users can query and retrieve monitoring data from this site.
STORET Data Submittal from Minnesota PCA, EPA Statewide N/A Current Text
This page has links and information that describe the process for data submittals to the EPA's STORET system by the PCA. The submittal process has six steps including: Project, Station and Lab Establishment, STORET Data and Hydrolab/Probe Data Templates and a Data Review Process. The site contains lists of currently established STORET lake and stream stations in Minnesota.
USGS - Water Data for Minnesota (NWISWeb) USGS Water Resource Office of Minnesota Statewide Various Current Text

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.
Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES)

Met Council

 Twin Cities Metro Area Various 2006 Text
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.

 

*Source abbreviations:

  • 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
  • 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")

 

Geographic Data Clearinghouse