Blue Earth River 2507863 199191936 2008-03-18T21:58:23Z Malepheasant 345020 rv per cited source <div style="float:right;width:325px;"> {{Geobox River <!-- *** Name section *** --> | name = Blue Earth River | native_name = | other_name = | other_name1 = <!-- *** Image *** ---> | image = Blue Earth River Rapidan.jpg | image_size = 300 | image_caption = The Blue Earth River as viewed from Rapidan Dam in [[Blue Earth County, Minnesota|Blue Earth County]] in 2007 <!-- *** Country etc. *** --> | country = United States | state = Iowa | state1 = Minnesota | region = | region1 = | district = | district1 = | city = | city1 = <!-- *** Geography *** --> | length_imperial = 108 | length_note = <ref name=EPAm>{{cite web |url= http://iaspub.epa.gov/waters/w305b_report_control.get_report?p_state=MN |title= National Assessment Database: Assessment Data for the State of Minnesota Year 2004. |pages= [http://iaspub.epa.gov/tmdl/w305b_report_V4.huc?p_huc=07020009&p_state=MN Blue Earth Watershed] |publisher= [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] |accessdate= 2007-06-09}}</ref> | watershed_imperial = 3486 | watershed_note = <ref name=MPCA>{{cite web |url= http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/basins/mnriver/watersheds.html |title= Watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin. |pages= [http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/basins/mnriver/watershed-blueearth.pdf Minnesota River Basin: Blue Earth, Watonwan, and Le Sueur River Watersheds] |publisher= Minnesota Pollution Control Agency |date= 2005-12-01 |accessdate= 2007-06-09}}</ref> | discharge_location = [[Rapidan Township, Minnesota]] | discharge_imperial = 1076 | discharge_max_imperial = 43100 | discharge_min_imperial = 6.9 | discharge_note = <ref name=USGS>{{cite web |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/2005/wdr-mn-05-1/ |pages = [http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/2005/wdr-mn-05-1/05320000.2005.sw.pdf Blue Earth River near Rapidan, MN] |title=Water Resources Data in Minnesota, Water Year 2005 Annual Report. |first= G. B. |last=Mitton |coauthors=K. G. Guttormson, G. W. Stratton, E. S. Wakeman |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref> | discharge1_location = | discharge1_imperial = <!-- *** Source *** --> | source_name = <nowiki>Middle Branch Blue Earth River</nowiki> | source_location = near [[Rake, Iowa|Rake]] | source_district = [[Winnebago County, Iowa|Winnebago County]] | source_region = | source_state = Iowa | source_lat_d = 43 | source_lat_m = 27 | source_lat_s = 30 | source_lat_NS = N | source_long_d = 93 | source_long_m = 48 | source_long_s = 04 | source_long_EW = W | source_coordinates_note = <ref name=GNISm>{{cite web |url={{Gnis3|459026}} |title=Geographic Names Information System entry for Middle Branch Blue Earth River (Feature ID #459026) |publisher=[[Geographic Names Information System]] |accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref> | source_elevation_imperial = 1207 | source_elevation_note = <ref name=GE>[[Google Earth]] elevation for [[GNIS]] coordinates. Retrieved on [[2007-06-09]].</ref> | source_length_imperial = 17 | source_length_note = <ref name=EPAm/><ref name=EPAi>{{cite web |url= http://iaspub.epa.gov/waters/w305b_report_control.get_report?p_state=IA |title= National Assessment Database: Assessment Data for the State of Iowa Year 2004. |pages= [http://iaspub.epa.gov/tmdl/w305b_report_V4.huc?p_huc=07020009&p_state=IA Blue Earth Watershed] |publisher= [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] |accessdate= 2007-06-09}}</ref> | source1_name = <nowiki>West Branch Blue Earth River</nowiki> | source1_location = near [[Swea City, Iowa|Swea City]] | source1_district = [[Kossuth County, Iowa|Kossuth County]] | source1_region = | source1_state = Iowa | source1_lat_d = 43 | source1_lat_m = 24 | source1_lat_s = 13 | source1_lat_NS = N | source1_long_d = 94 | source1_long_m = 17 | source1_long_s = 38 | source1_long_EW = W | source1_coordinates_note = <ref>{{cite web |url={{Gnis3|653931}} |title=Geographic Names Information System entry for West Branch Blue Earth River (Feature ID #653931) |publisher=[[Geographic Names Information System]] |accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref> | source1_elevation_imperial = 1152 | source1_elevation_note = <ref name=GE/> | source1_length_imperial = 15 | source1_length_note = <ref name=EPAm/><ref name=EPAi/> | source_confluence_location = [[Elmore Township, Minnesota|Elmore Township]] | source_confluence_district = [[Faribault County, Minnesota|Faribault County]] | source_confluence_region = | source_confluence_state = Minnesota | source_confluence_lat_d = 43 | source_confluence_lat_m = 34 | source_confluence_lat_s = 20 | source_confluence_lat_NS = N | source_confluence_long_d = 94 | source_confluence_long_m = 06 | source_confluence_long_s = 11 | source_confluence_long_EW = W | source_confluence_coordinates_note = <ref name=GNIS>{{cite web |url={{Gnis3|640285}} |title=Geographic Names Information System entry for Blue Earth River (Feature ID #640285) |publisher=[[Geographic Names Information System]] |accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref> | source_confluence_elevation_imperial = 1076 | source_confluence_elevation_note = <ref name=GE/> <!-- *** Mouth *** --> | mouth_name = Minnesota River | mouth_location = [[Mankato, Minnesota|Mankato]] | mouth_district = [[Blue Earth County, Minnesota|Blue Earth County]] | mouth_region = | mouth_state = Minnesota | mouth_lat_d = 44 | mouth_lat_m = 09 | mouth_lat_s = 51 | mouth_lat_NS = N | mouth_long_d = 94 | mouth_long_m = 02 | mouth_long_s = 13 | mouth_long_EW = W | mouth_coordinates_note = <ref name=GNIS/> | mouth_elevation_imperial = 765 | mouth_elevation_note = <ref name=GE/> <!-- *** Tributaries *** --> | tributary_left = Watonwan River | tributary_left1 = | tributary_right = <nowiki>East Branch Blue Earth River</nowiki> | tributary_right1 = Le Sueur River <!-- *** Free fields *** --> | free_name = | free_value = <!-- *** Map section *** --> | map = Blueearthrivermap.png | map_size = | map_caption = }} [[Image:Blue_Earth_River.jpg|thumb|300px|The Blue Earth River in [[Vernon Center, Minnesota|Vernon Center]] in 1996]] </div> The '''Blue Earth River''' is a [[tributary]] of the [[Minnesota River]], 108&nbsp;miles (174&nbsp;km) long, in southern [[Minnesota]] in the [[United States]]. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the '''Middle Branch Blue Earth River''' and the '''West Branch Blue Earth River''', also flow for short distances in northern [[Iowa]]. By volume, it is the Minnesota River's largest tributary, accounting for 46% of the Minnesota's flow at the rivers' confluence in [[Mankato, Minnesota|Mankato]].<ref name=MPCA/> Via the Minnesota River, the Blue Earth River is part of the [[drainage basin|watershed]] of the [[Mississippi River]], draining an area of 3,486&nbsp;square miles (9,029&nbsp;km²) in an agricultural region. Ninety percent of the river's watershed is in Minnesota.<ref name=MPCA/> ==History== The river was named for former deposits of bluish-green [[clay]], no longer visible, along the banks of the river. The stream was called ''Makato Osa Watapa'' by the Dakota Indians, meaning "the river where blue earth is gathered." <ref name = Upham>{{cite book| last =Upham| first =Warren| authorlink =Warren Upham| title =Minnesota Place Names, A Geographical Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition| publisher =Minnesota Historical Society| date =2001| location =Saint Paul, Minnesota| pages =pp. 65| isbn =0-87351-396-7}}</ref> The [[France|French]] explorer [[Pierre-Charles Le Sueur]] established [[Fort L’Huillier]] near the river's mouth in 1700 for the purpose of mining the clay, either in the mistaken belief that the clay contained [[copper]], or as a ruse to secure funding from his patrons for his [[fur trade|fur trading]] activities. The fort was abandoned the following year after an attack by the [[Fox (tribe)|Fox tribe]]. In the 19th century, the geographer [[Joseph Nicollet]] found cavities from which the clay had been dug by Native Americans in the region, who used it as [[body painting|body paint]]; he found no evidence of Le Sueur's mines, nor of the fort.<ref name=Waters>{{cite book| last= Waters |first= Thomas F. | title= The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota |year= 2006 |publisher= [[University of Minnesota Press]] |location=Minneapolis |isbn= 0-8166-0960-8 |pages= pp. 278-287 |chapter= The Blue Earth: Fool's Copper}}</ref> ==Geography== The Blue Earth River is considered to begin at the confluence of its west and middle branches, approximately five miles (8&nbsp;km) north of [[Elmore, Minnesota|Elmore]] in southwestern [[Faribault County, Minnesota]]. The Middle Branch, 17&nbsp;miles (27&nbsp;km) long and sometimes known as the main stem of the river,<ref name=GNISm/> rises in northwestern [[Winnebago County, Iowa]], approximately seven miles east of [[Rake, Iowa|Rake]], and flows westwardly into [[Kossuth County, Iowa]], then northwardly into Faribault County. The West Branch, 15&nbsp;miles (24&nbsp;km) long, rises near [[Swea City, Iowa|Swea City]] in northern Kossuth County and flows northeastwardly into Faribault County. Both headwaters tributaries have been [[river engineering|channelized]] for much of their courses. From their confluence the Blue Earth River flows northwardly in a winding course through eastern Faribault County into [[Blue Earth County, Minnesota|Blue Earth County]], past the cities of [[Blue Earth, Minnesota|Blue Earth]], [[Winnebago, Minnesota|Winnebago]], and [[Vernon Center, Minnesota|Vernon Center]], to [[Mankato, Minnesota|Mankato]], where it enters the Minnesota River from the south.<ref name=DeLorme>{{cite book| title= Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer |year=1994 |publisher= [[DeLorme]] |location=Yarmouth, Me. |isbn= 0-89933-222-6 |pages= pp. 21-23, 32}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title= Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer |year=1998 |publisher= [[DeLorme]] |location=Yarmouth, Me. |isbn= 0-89933-214-5 |pages= pp. 18-19}}</ref> Rapidan Dam, constructed for the purpose of [[hydroelectricity]] generation in 1910, impounds the river 12&nbsp;miles (19&nbsp;km) upstream from its mouth; its reservoir filled with silt and mud soon after the dam's completion. The hydroelectric facility was later decommissioned but reactivated in 1984.<ref name=USGS/><ref name=Waters/> The Blue Earth River's largest tributaries are the [[Le Sueur River]], which it collects three miles (5&nbsp;km) upstream of its mouth; and the [[Watonwan River]], which it collects 16&nbsp;miles (26&nbsp;km) upstream of its mouth. The two rivers drain 31% and 24% of the Blue Earth's watershed, respectively.<ref name=EPAm/><ref name=MPCA/> Tributaries of the river in its upper course include the East Branch Blue Earth River,<ref>{{cite web |url={{Gnis3|643049}} |title=Geographic Names Information System entry for East Branch Blue Earth River (Feature ID #643049) |publisher=[[Geographic Names Information System]] |accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref> 56&nbsp;miles (90&nbsp;km) long, which rises in southwestern [[Freeborn County, Minnesota|Freeborn County]] and flows westwardly through Faribault County to the city of Blue Earth; and Elm Creek,<ref>{{cite web |url={{Gnis3|643295}} |title=Geographic Names Information System entry for Elm Creek (Feature ID #643295) |publisher=[[Geographic Names Information System]] |accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref> 75&nbsp;miles (121&nbsp;km) long, which rises in northeastern [[Jackson County, Minnesota|Jackson County]] and flows eastwardly through [[Martin County, Minnesota|Martin County]] into northeastern Faribault County, where it joins the Blue Earth River near Winnebago.<ref name=EPAm/><ref name=DeLorme/> The Blue Earth River flows in most of its course through [[till plain]]s and the plain of a former [[glacial lake]]. The lower (northern) part of the river's watershed was historically covered by the [[Big Woods]], a tract of [[hardwood]]s that has since been largely converted to agricultural use; segments of the woodland extended southward along the [[riparian zone|riparian]] corridors of the Blue Earth River and its tributaries.<ref name=MPCA/> In its lower course below Rapidan Dam, the river flows through a wooded gorge in the valley of the Minnesota River; this section is a popular [[canoeing]] route.<ref name=Waters/> According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, approximately 84% of the Blue Earth River's watershed is used for agricultural cultivation, primarily that of [[maize|corn]] and [[soybean]]s. The river is one of the most [[water pollution|polluted]] in Minnesota, with elevated levels of [[sediment]], [[bacteria]], [[nitrate]]s, [[phosphorus]], [[mercury (element)|mercury]], [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCBs]], and [[pesticide]]s, contributed in part by [[surface runoff|runoff]] in the watershed. [[Fecal coliforms]], contributed by [[manure]] fertilizers, livestock waste, substandard [[septic tank]]s and outdated [[sewer]] systems, are often present in the river at levels considered by the state government to be unsafe for swimming.<ref>{{cite news |first= Mark |last= Steil |title= Blue Earth River heavily polluted |url= http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/06/09_steilm_blueearth/ |publisher= [[Minnesota Public Radio]] |date= 2005-06-09 |accessdate= 2007-06-09}}</ref> ==Flow rate== <div style="float:right;width:220px;"> [[Image:Blue Earth Riv Rapidan.jpg|thumb|200px|The Blue Earth River near the USGS stream gauge in 2007]] </div> The [[United States Geological Survey]] operates a [[stream gauge]] on the Blue Earth River below Rapidan Dam in [[Rapidan Township, Minnesota|Rapidan Township]], downstream of the mouth of the Watonwan River and upstream of the mouth of the Le Sueur River, and 12&nbsp;miles (19&nbsp;km) upstream from the river's mouth. The annual mean flow of the river at the gauge between 1909 and 2005 was 1,076&nbsp;[[cubic feet per second]] (30&nbsp;[[cubic meters per second|m³/s]]). The highest recorded flow during the period was 43,100&nbsp;ft³/s (1,220&nbsp;m³/s) on [[April 9]], [[1965]]. The lowest recorded flow was 6.9&nbsp;ft³/s (0.2&nbsp;m³/s) on [[October 12]], [[1955]].<ref name=USGS/> ==See also== *[[List of Minnesota rivers]] *[[List of Iowa rivers]] ==References== {{reflist|2}} [[Category:Rivers of Iowa]] [[Category:Rivers of Minnesota]] [[Category:Tributaries of the Minnesota River]] [[Category:Blue Earth County, Minnesota]] [[Category:Faribault County, Minnesota]] [[Category:Kossuth County, Iowa]] [[Category:Winnebago County, Iowa]] [[de:Blue Earth River]]