Monitoring Reports

Dakota County and Scott Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) sample water at multiple sites, maintain data, and upload information to statewide databases from the Vermillion River Monitoring Network. Annual reports document the river’s condition and trends.

The SWCD staff collects water samples to monitor nitrate/nitrite, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, total suspended solids (TSS), volatile suspended solids, pH, E. coli, transparency, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity. Both routine and event monitoring take place throughout the year, primarily between April and November, but also during snowmelt runoff events that take place during the winter months.

Real-time stage and flow data is available from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Continuous temperature monitoring is conducted at the seven stream gaging stations the SWCD and DNR operate, as well as at the Metropolitan Council’s Watershed Outlet Monitoring Program (WOMP) station in Hastings.

Results from the VRWJPO’s Biomonitoring Plan provide both baseline data and an ongoing assessment of the watershed’s health through fish and macroinvertebrate sampling and habitat monitoring at 14 locations throughout the watershed.