Watershed Management

Need to schedule a meeting with one of the Watershed staff?  

Please use our new online scheduling tool to schedule a meeting.

• Schedule an office visit
• Schedule a field inspection visit 

Note: The application works best with Google Chrome. If you get an error when you click on the link, copy the URL link into Google Chrome and press enter.

About Watershed Management

The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area is mandated by state statute to be covered by Watershed Management Organizations (WMOs) for the purpose of enabling local water management. There are three types of WMOs: a Watershed District, a municipal/city based joint powers WMO, or a county based WMO. Scott County has Watershed Districts and County based WMOs. They are all similar government units that work with local governments, like cities, to satisfy state surface water planning standards. They also help local governments to sort out surface water issues. However, they do not replace state or federal water management authorities. For more about the history and duties of watershed districts and WMOs, please visit the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources webpage on Watershed Management Organizations.
 
There are four watershed management organizations in Scott County. View the image below for their locations.  Click any of their names in the below list to connect to their websites:

• Scott Watershed Management Organization (Scott WMO) is a county based WMO with the Scott County Board acting as the WMO Board.  
• Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization (VRWJPO) is a county joint powers based WMO between Scott and Dakota Counties.  It is governed by a Board consisting of two County Commissioners from Dakota County and one from Scott County. 
• Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District (PLSLWD) is governed by a Board of Managers appointed by the Scott County Board.
• Lower Minnesota River Watershed District (LMRWD) covers portions of Scott County and three other counties.  LMRWD is governed by a Board of Managers, one of which is appointed by the Scott County Board.

Click on the picture below to enlarge the map in a PDF, or you may use the Scott County GIS Interactive Map to see which watershed authority looks after your surface waters.