Water Quality

Ensuring Water Quality

Aitkin County SWCD works with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to complete intensive water quality and monitoring in Aitkin County’s seven watersheds. This testing is part of the WRAPS program, or the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy. Click here for more information about WRAPS.

One Watershed, One Plans are in the process of being developed for each watershed in Aitkin County. These plans are intended to prevent management of a watershed ending at the boundaries of a county or city and brings together organizations from several counties to produce a comprehensive management plan for each watershed. Click here for a summary of the planning progress for each watershed in Aitkin County.

Aitkin County has also developed a comprehensive Water Plan. Aitkin County’s water plan discusses historical and current data from land use assessments, surficial features, climate, geology, and other factors to outline how Aitkin County will prioritize, protect, and restore natural water resources. The current plan is valid until 2025. Click here to view the Water Plan.

The Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) was enacted in 1991 to protect wetlands not protected under DNR’s public waters program and to provide no net loss of Minnesota’s remaining wetlands (MN BWSR). Click here for more information.