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Snake River Watershed

Overview

Map of the Snake River Watershed showing highlighted priority lakes and townships with a legend indicating lake names.
The Snake River Watershed with priority lakes and labeled townships.

The Snake River sub-watershed, which includes the upper, middle, and lower Snake River, is the largest group of sub-watersheds in the basin encompassing 273,301 acres or 43% of the total Snake River Watershed. The Snake River originates in Aitkin County and flows for a total of 101.3 miles before entering the St. Croix River east of Pine City. The upper Snake River sub-watershed is characterized by areas of steep slopes (which can be up to 25%), its relatively low percentage of cultivated land, and its exceptionally high numbers of state-listed rare and endangered wetland plant and animal species. Due to the upper Snake River’s susceptibility to erosion and high number of rare and endangered plant and animal species, it is listed as a high priority and should be maintained and protected through the use of wise land stewardship practices. The middle and lower Snake River sub-watersheds have flatter slopes but more intense land uses, much higher percentages of cultivated land, and slightly lower percentage of rare and endangered plant and animal species. The middle and lower Snake River sub-watershed are listed as high priority minor watersheds due to their relatively high intensity land-uses and high number of rare and endangered plant and animal species, and should be a target area for implementation of appropriate best management practices.

Map of Snake River Watershed, Minnesota, showing counties, rivers, lakes, and watershed boundary in various colors.
The Snake River Watershed, displayed at the HUC-8 level, contains eight separate HUC-10 watersheds, which include: Upper Snake, Middle Snake, Knife River, Mud Creek, Groundhouse River, Pokegama Creek, Ann River and Lower Snake River. The Snake River flows south to east to its confluence with the St. Croix River in Pine County, MN.

Snake River Watershed Plan Partnership

Visit the dedicated Snake River Watershed Plan Partnership (SRWPP) website for more information, meeting materials, progress updates, and more.

SRWPP Coordinator:

Mary Poelman, mary@kanabecswcd.org or (320) 679-1391

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