About the Watershed
The Pomme de Terre Watershed is approximately 875 square miles (599,966 acres), containing 52 minor watersheds. It is the most northern watershed in the Minnesota River Basin. The watershed begins in the North Central Hardwood Forest eco-region and flows into the Northern Glaciated Plains eco-region.
The Pomme de Terre River flows through nine cities, with the largest populations being in Morris (5068) and Appleton (2871), and six counties in West Central Minnesota: Otter Tail, Grant, Douglas, Stevens, Swift, and Big Stone.
Otter Tail County, where the river begins, used to have many dairy farms but now the land is mostly used for cash grains. This northern area of watershed consists of mostly lakes, wetlands, cattails, woods and meadows. The river then flows into Grant County where the landscape begins to flatten out and more agriculture occurs along the edges of the river.
The watershed continues to widen as it enters Stevens County where prairie and agricultural landscapes dominate. Finally, the river flows into Big Stone and Swift counties and into the Minnesota River. The majority (76.4%) of the watershed consists of agricultural/cultivated landscape. Click here to see maps describing different types of land use in each county. Although the river does not flow through Douglas County, it is considered in the watershed because Lake Christina drains into the Pomme de Terre.
Watershed Data
|
County
Area in Pomme de Terre River Watershed
|
|
County
|
Acres in watershed
|
Square miles in watershed
|
Percent of county in watershed
|
Percent of watershed in
county
|
|
Big
Stone
|
18, 116
|
28.3
|
5.35%
|
3.24%
|
|
Douglas
|
19,390
|
31.1
|
4.32%
|
3.56%
|
|
Grant
|
100,334
|
156.8
|
27.23
|
17.92%
|
|
Otter
Tail
|
128,829
|
201.3
|
9.05%
|
23.01%
|
|
Stevens
|
221,334
|
345.8
|
60.07%
|
39.53%
|
|
Swift
|
71,421
|
111.6
|
14.84%
|
12.73%
|
|
Table data was compiled by the Minnesota River
Basin Data Center
|
|
Population
of Cities in the Pomme de Terre River Watershed
|
|
City
name
|
County
|
Population
(2000)
|
|
Alberta
|
Stevens
|
142
|
|
Appleton*
|
Swift
|
2,871
|
|
Ashby
|
Grant
|
472
|
|
Barrett
|
Grant
|
355
|
|
Chokio
|
Stevens
|
443
|
|
Dalton
|
Otter
Tail
|
258
|
|
Donnelly*
|
Stevens
|
254
|
|
Morris
|
Stevens
|
5,068
|
|
Underwood*
|
Otter
Tail
|
319
|
|
*Not located entirely within the Watershed. Information taken from the US
Census Bureau 2000
|
|
Land
Use in the Pomme de Terre River Watershed
|
|
Land
use
|
Number of acres
|
% of watershed
|
|
Forest
|
20, 920
|
3.6%
|
|
Cultivated
|
447,800
|
76.4%
|
|
Water
and Marsh
|
56,680
|
9.7%
|
|
Urban/Residential
|
7,000
|
1.2%
|
|
Extractive
|
1,040
|
.2%
|
|
Pasture/Prairie
|
52, 640
|
8.9%
|
|
Transportation
|
320
|
0.06%
|
|
TOTAL
|
586,400
|
|
|
Table based on information for Sedimentation Rates and Changing Water Quality, Pomme de Terre River Watershed, West Central Minnesota, Dr. Van Alstine,
1987. Page 15
|
|
Streams in the Pomme de Terre River Watershed
|
|
Stream
name
|
Total
stream miles
|
Total
perennial stream miles
|
Total
intermittent stream miles
|
|
Artichoke
Creek
|
2.7
|
0.0
|
2.7
|
|
Dry
Wood Creek
|
10.1
|
3.2
|
6.9
|
|
Muddy
Creek
|
31.5
|
11.1
|
20.4
|
|
Pelican
Creek
|
12.4
|
12.4
|
0.0
|
|
Pomme
de Terre River
|
105.9
|
105.9
|
0.0
|
|
Total
Named Streams
|
162.6
|
132.6
|
30
|
|
Total
Major Watershed Streams
|
750.7
|
134.6
|
616.7
|
|
Table Information from the Minnesota River Basin Data Center, Minnesota State
University, Mankato
|
|
