Neighbors and friends coming together to protect the Knife River and its watershed
Advocates for the Knife River Watershed
Purpose
The Advocates for the Knife River Watershed (AKRW) is a non-profit organization committed to learning about the river and promoting policies and practices that enhance the Knife River ecosystem. AKRW serves as a forum for citizen voices in the private and public land use decisions that affect the watershed ecosystem. We welcome new members.
The Knife River Watershed
The main Knife River and its tributaries consist of approximately 70 miles of stream with a catch-basin of about 54,000 acres.
A little more than half of the watershed acreage is owned by the State of Minnesota, St. Louis County and Lake County.
The Remaining acreage is privately owned; of this about 25% (6200 acres) are enrolled in forest stewardship plans.
Map reproduced with permission from Stone et al. (2015)
Knife River Watershed Concerns
In 2010 the Environmental Protection Agency and and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency classified the Knife River as impaired due to high levels of turbidity.
The source of turbidity is erosion of clay banks within the river, caused by increased water flow during significant rain and snow-melt events.
The watershed has limited natural water storage features such as ponds and marshes which store and retard the flow of run-off water. The removal of beaver impoundments and clear-cut logging practices contribute to this problem.
Questions?
Contact: AKRWATERS@gmail.com or call 218-834-5221 for more information