Monitoring

Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District staff sample water at multiple River and tributary sites, maintain data, and upload information to statewide databases from the Vermillion River Monitoring Network. The samples are tested to monitor levels of nitrate, total phosphorus, total suspended solids (TSS), E. coli bacteria, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and electrical conductivity. Routine monitoring takes place weekly between March and November. Staff also monitor after snowmelt or heavy rains.

Real-time stage and flow data is available from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). More locations with periodic updates, including water temperature, can be found through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’s Cooperative Stream Gaging map.

In addition, VRWJPO follows a biomonitoring plan to track habitat, fish, and macroinvertebrate health. Biomonitoring results are measured using the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Stream Habitat Assessment protocol and indices of biological integrity. Annual reports document the river’s condition and trends.