Water resources of the Blue Earth River watershed, south-central Minnesota

The Blue Earth River Watershed in Minnesota includes 3,106 square miles of land surface, which varies from fairly flat to gently rolling. The drainage extends south to include an additional 450 square miles in Iowa. The western, southern, and eastern boundaries are end moraines formed by Pleistocene glaciers. Major streams have eroded channels 40 to 75 feet deep in headwater regions and 150 to 200 feet deep near the mouth of the Blue Earth River at Mankato. In their lower reaches major streams have cut through glacial deposits and into underlying bedrock (described on ground-water sheet).