Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Ecological and Water Resources

Hydrologic Conditions Report

August 2014

This is the fifth installment of the monthly Hydrologic Conditions Report for 2014. For comparative purposes please

reference the previous reports at: http://mndnr.gov/current_conditions/hydro_conditions.html

August precipitation totals were highly variable across Minnesota. Rainfall totals were below historical averages in far northern Minnesota and some central Minnesota counties. Conversely, monthly rainfall totals were well above average in portions of west central, north central Minnesota, and some southeastern Minnesota locations. Average monthly temperatures for August in Minnesota were very near historical averages. As was the case throughout the summer, 90-degree temperatures were infrequent during the month of August. In spite of the dry July and early August, seasonal precipitation totals since April 1 remain above historical averages nearly everywhere in Minnesota. For large portions of the state, season-to-date precipitation totals rank above the 95th percentile when compared with the historical database for the April-through-August time period. The U. S. Drought Monitor, released on September 4, indicated that Abnormally Dry conditions exist over a small portion of south central Minnesota. Stream discharge values are well above the historical median for the date at many Minnesota monitoring locations, and somewhat above the historical median for the remaining watersheds.

Drier conditions in early August led to continued decline in flows at most indicator gages. Several Major Watersheds are still considered high or high normal flows, but the majority of the state has now dropped in to the Normal flow condition range. A portion of the northeast (St. Louis and Cloquet River Watersheds) has even dropped to low normal conditions.

With the variable August precipitation, many of the statewide lakes lost and gained back some of the lake levels by the end of the month. When comparing August lake levels to their entire historic record, over half of the statewide gauged lakes reporting in August were still at their Above Normal or High percentile range. For the second month, fourteen out of these 24 selected lakes remained at Above Normal or High August percentiles, reflecting the staying power of the 2014 season-to-date precipitation amounts. White Bear Lake stayed at the Below Normal August percentile. At the end of this August, White Bear had similar water levels as its lake level in early September 2008. Indian Lake in SW Minnesota increased to the Below Normal percentile when comparing its historic August levels.

Groundwater levels changed very little between the months of July and August when compared to the monthly averages. Several wells in the western part of the state improved with the exception of a water table well in the far northwest corner of the state in Red Lake County. It went from normal water level to below normal. The metro area saw one bedrock well decline from normal to low water levels but the majority of the wells within that area were normal to high. The central part of the state saw no changes from July and overall the states groundwater resources are at or above normal when compared to monthly averages.

The information in this report is provided by DNR through long term programs committed to recording and tracking the long term status of our water resources. The current conditions of precipitation, stream flows, lake levels and ground water levels in this report provide valuable information for natural and economic resource management on a state, county and watershed level.

If you have questions on the content of this report please contact Greg Spoden: 651-296-4214, gregory.spoden@state.mn.us

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3833

1925

2018

3717

34

16

26

1534

23

3614

21

5

3510

13

1157

5812

56

8

24

6059

9

7

3

61

661

63

73

62

72

67

77 76

68 6574

78 75

79

7170

69

80

LAKE OF THE WOODS

KITTSON ROSEAU

KOOCHICHING

MARSHALL

ST. LOUIS

BELTRAMI

POLK

PENNINGTON

COOK

LAKE

CLEARWATER

RED LAKE ITASCA

NORMAN MAHNOMEN

CASSHUBBARD

CLAYBECKER

AITKIN

WADENA CROW WING

CARLTON

OTTER TAILWILKIN

PINE

TODD MORRISON

MILLELACS

KANABECGRANT

DOUGLAS

TRAVERSEBENTON

STEVENS

STEARNS

POPE ISANTI

CHISAGO

BIG STONE SHERBURNE

SWIFT KANDIYOHI

WRIGHT ANOKAMEEKER

LAC QUI PARLE

WASH

INGT

ON

HENNEPIN

CHIPPEWARAMSEY

MCLEOD CARVERYELLOW MEDICINE DAKOTA

RENVILLE

SCOTTSIBLEY

REDWOOD GOODHUE

LINCOLNLYON

LE SUEUR

RICEBROWN

NICOLLET

WABASHA

BLUEEARTH

PIPESTONE MURRAY COTTONWOOD WINONAWASECA

STEELE DODGE

OLMSTEDWATONWAN

ROCK NOBLES

JACKSON

MARTIN HOUSTONFARIBAULT

FILLMORE

FREEBORN MOWER

Minnesota Counties and Major Watershed Index

1. Lake Superior - North2. Lake Superior - South3. St. Louis River4. Cloquet River5. Nemadji River6. (none)7. Mississippi River - Headwaters8. Leech Lake River9. Mississippi River - Grand Rapids

10. Mississippi River - Brainerd11. Pine River12. Crow Wing River13. Redeye River14. Long Prairie River15. Mississippi River - Sartell16. Sauk River17. Mississippi River - St. Cloud18. North Fork Crow River19. South Fork Crow River20. Mississippi River - Twin Cities21. Rum River22. Minnesota River - Headwaters23. Pomme de Terre River24. Lac Qui Parle River25. Minnesota - Yellow Medicine Rivers26. Chippewa River27. Redwood River28. Minnesota River - Mankato29. Cottonwood River30. Blue Earth River31. Watonwan River32. Le Sueur River33. Lower Minnesota River34. Upper St. Croix River35. Kettle River36. Snake River37. Lower St. Croix River38. Mississippi River - Lake Pepin39. Cannon River40. Mississippi River - Winona41. Zumbro River42. Mississippi River - La Crescent43. Root River44. Mississippi River - Reno45. (none)46. Upper Iowa River47. Upper Wapsipinicon River48. Cedar River49. Shell Rock River50. Winnebago River51. Des Moines River - Headwaters52. Lower Des Moines River53. East Fork Des Moines River54. Bois de Sioux River55. Mustinka River56. Otter Tail River57. Upper Red River of the North58. Buffalo River59. Red River of the North - Marsh River60. Wild Rice River61. Red River of the North - Sandhill River62. Upper/Lower Red Lake63. Red Lake River64. (none)65. Thief River66. Clearwater River67. Red River of the North - Grand Marais Creek68. Snake River69. Red River of the North - Tamarac River70. Two Rivers71. Roseau River72. Rainy River - Headwaters73. Vermilion River74. Rainy River - Rainy Lake75. Rainy River - Black River76. Little Fork River77. Big Fork River78. Rapid River79. Rainy River - Baudette80. Lake of the Woods81. Upper Big Sioux River82. Lower Big Sioux River83. Rock River84. Little Sioux River

Level 2 Hydrologic Unit (HUC4)Cedar RiverDes Moines RiverLower Mississippi RiverMinnesota RiverMississippi - Upper Iowa RiversMississippi River - Headwaters

Missouri - Big Sioux RiversMissouri - Little Sioux RiversRainy RiverRed River of the NorthSt. Croix RiverWestern Lake Superior

DNR Major Watershed -Level 4 Hydrologic Unit (HUC8)

Climatology

DNR Major Wate rshe dDrought Intensity

D0 Droug ht - Abnorm ally DryD1 Droug ht - Mode rateD2 Droug ht - S e ve reD3 Droug ht - Extre m eD4 Droug ht - Exce ptional

U.S . Droug ht MonitorS e pte m be r 2, 2014 Note s:

•Aug ust pre cipitation totals w e re hig hly variable across Minne sota. Rainfall totals w e re be low historical ave rag e s in farnorthe rn Minne sota and som e ce ntral Minne sota countie s. Conve rse ly, m onthly rainfall totals w e re w e ll above ave rag e inportions of w e st ce ntral, north ce ntral Minne sota, and som e southe aste rn Minne sota locations.•Ave rag e m onthly te m pe rature s for Aug ust in Minne sota w e re ve ry ne ar historical ave rag e s. As w as the case throug houtthe sum m e r, 90-de g re e te m pe rature s w e re infre que nt during the m onth of Aug ust.•In spite of the dry July and e arly Aug ust, se asonal pre cipitation totals since April 1 re m ain above historical ave rag e sne arly e ve ryw he re in Minne sota. For larg e portions of the state , se ason-to-date pre cipitation totals rank above the 95thpe rce ntile w he n com pare d w ith the historical database for the April-throug h-Aug ust tim e pe riod.•The U. S . Droug ht Monitor, re le ase d on S e pte m be r 4, indicate d that Abnorm ally Dry conditions e xist ove r a sm allportion of south ce ntral Minne sota.•S tre am discharg e value s are w e ll above the historical m e dian for the date at m any Minne sota m onitoring locations, andsom e w hat above the historical m e dian for the re m aining w ate rshe ds.

2.03.0

1.0

-2.0-1.00.0

-3.0

4.05.0

MNDNR S tate Clim atolog y Office

inche s

Total Pre cipitation - Aug ust 2014

(pre lim inary)

Total Pre cipitation - De parture from Norm al:

Aug ust 2014(pre lim inary) (pre lim inary)

Total Pre cipitation - Historical Rank :

Aug ust 2014

pe rce ntile *

99

708090

30405060

95

2010510

inche s

6.0

8.0

3.04.05.0

7.0

2.01.0

9.0 6.0

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38

24

22

55

54

47 464652 5084 53 444948

43

42

3083

31 325182 4041

2981 39

27 28

3833

1925

2018

3717

34

16

26

1534

23

3614

21

5

3510

13

1157

5812

56

8

24

6059

9

7

3

61

661

63

73

62

72

67

77 76

68 6574

78 75

79

7170

69

80

LAKE OF THE WOODS

KITTSONROSEAU

KOOCHICHING

MARSHALL

ST. LOUIS

BELTRAMI

POLK

PENNINGTON

COOK

LAKE

CLEARWATER

RED LAKE ITASCA

NORMAN MAHNOMEN

CASSHUBBARD

CLAYBECKER

AITKIN

WADENA CROW WING

CARLTON

OTTER TAILWILKIN

PINE

TODDMORRISON

MILLELACS

KANABECGRANT

DOUGLAS

TRAVERSEBENTON

STEVENS

STEARNS

POPE ISANTI

CHISAGO

BIG STONESHERBURNE

SWIFT KANDIYOHI

WRIGHT

ANOKA

MEEKERLAC QUI PARLE

WASH

INGT

ON

HENNEPIN

CHIPPEWARAMSEY

MCLEOD CARVERYELLOW MEDICINE DAKOTA

RENVILLE

SCOTTSIBLEY

REDWOOD GOODHUE

LINCOLNLYON

LE SUEUR

RICEBROWN

NICOLLET

WABASHA

BLUEEARTH

PIPESTONE MURRAY COTTONWOOD WINONAWASECA

STEELE DODGE

OLMSTEDWATONWAN

ROCK NOBLES

JACKSON

MARTIN HOUSTONFARIBAULT

FILLMORE

FREEBORN MOWER

Surface Water: Stream Flow

Previous Flow ConditionsJuly 2014

This map is based on provisional stream gage datafrom the USGS National Water Information System

August 2014Stream Flow Conditions

* Percentile ranking based on mean daily flows for the current month averaged and ranked with all historical mean daily flows for that month. A watershed ranked at zero means that the present month flow is the lowest in the period of record; a ranking of 100 indicates the highest in the period of record. A ranking at the 50th percentile (median) specifies that the present-month flow is in the middle of the historical distribution.

# Designated major watershed gage August Percentile *High Flows (>90th percentile)Above Normal Flows (75 - 90th percentile)Normal Flows (25 - 75th percentile)Below Normal Flows (10 - 25th percentile)Low Flows (<= 10th percentile)

Equipment malfunction

Flow affected bybackwater

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LAKE OF THE WOODS

KITTSONROSEAU

KOOCHICHING

MARSHALL

ST. LOUIS

BELTRAMI

POLK

PENNINGTON

COOK

LAKE

CLEARWATER

RED LAKE ITASCA

NORMAN MAHNOMEN

CASSHUBBARD

CLAYBECKER

AITKIN

WADENA CROW WING

CARLTON

OTTER TAILWILKIN

PINE

TODD MORRISON

MILLELACS

KANABECGRANT

DOUGLAS

TRAVERSEBENTON

STEVENS STEARNSPOPE

ISANTI

CHISAGO

BIG STONE SHERBURNE

SWIFT KANDIYOHI

WRIGHT

ANOKA

MEEKERLAC QUI PARLE WA

SHIN

GTON

HENNEPIN

CHIPPEWARAMSEY

MCLEOD CARVERYELLOW MEDICINE DAKOTA

RENVILLE

SCOTTSIBLEY

REDWOOD GOODHUE

LINCOLNLYON

LE SUEUR

RICEBROWN

NICOLLET

WABASHA

BLUEEARTH

PIPESTONE MURRAY COTTONWOOD WINONAWASECA

STEELE DODGE

OLMSTEDWATONWAN

ROCK NOBLES

JACKSON

MARTIN HOUSTONFARIBAULT

FILLMORE

FREEBORN MOWER

Upper Cormorant

Turtle River

Chub

North Center

Poplar

Edward

Marion

Minnetonka

Green

Lake of the Woods

West Jefferson

Mille Lacs

Upper PriorSwan

White Bear

Shetek

Indian

East Battle

Tamarack

Pokegama

Sarah

BurntsideVermilion

Minnewaska !(

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Source data from: MN DNR Waters Lake Level Minnesota Monitoring Program

August 2014Lake Level Status

Surface Water: Lake Levels

* Percentile ranking based on last reported reading for the current month compared to all historical reported levels for that month. A lake ranked at zero means that the present reported level is the lowest in the period of record; a ranking of 100 indicates the highest in the period of record. A ranking at the 50th percentile (median) specifies that the present- month reported lake level is in the middle of the historical distribution.

Previous Conditions July 2014

August Percentile *!( High Water Levels (>90th percentile)!( Above Normal Water Levels (75 - 90th percentile)!( Normal Water Levels (25 - 75th percentile)!( Below Normal Water Levels (10 - 25th percentile)!( Low Water Levels (<= 10th percentile)

Level 2 Hydrologic UnitDNR Major Watershed

!( No reading available

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AquiferWater TableBuried ArtesianBedrock

Ground Water Level Historical RankingsAugust 2014

Ground Water

* Percentile ranking based on last reported reading for the current month compared to all historical reported levels for that month. A water level ranked at zero means that the present reported level is the lowest in the period of record; a ranking of 100 indicates the highest in the period of record. A ranking at the 50th percentile (median) specifies that the present- month reported water level level is in the middle of the historical distribution.

Source data from: MN DNR Ground Water Level Monitoring Program

Water Level

Low Water Levels (< 10% percentile)

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Below Normal Water Levels (10% - 25% percentile)

Above Normal Water Levels (75% - 90% percentile)Normal Water Levels (25% - 75% percentile)

High Water Levels (> 90% percentile)!(

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July 2014 Indicator Wells

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