Agroecoregion: Steep Stream Banks
Agroecoregion Characteristics Area (ac)* Percentage
Major Watersheds Blue Earth River 70,768 62.8
  Le Sueur River 25,448 22.6
  Cottonwood River 10,157 9.0
  Middle Minnesota River 3,804 3.4
  Watonwan River 2,490 2.2
       
Counties Blue Earth 51,265 45.5
  Faribault 39,350 34.9
  Martin 11,856 10.5
  Brown 10,196 9.1
       
Slope Steepness 0-2 Percent 70,113 62.2
  2-6 Percent 33,804 30.0
  2-12 Percent 4,481 4.0
  6-12 Percent 4,189 3.7
  Water 79 0.1
       
Internal Drainage Poorly drained 31,460 27.9
  Poor/Improved by tiling 38,243 33.9
  Well drained 42,884 38.1
  Water 79 0.1
       
Erosion Potential Extreme 10,198 9
  Very Severe 0 0
  Severe 0 0
  Very High 102,468 91
  High 0 0
  Moderate 0 0
  Slight 0 0
       
Proximity to Water Lake Shoreline 4,021 3.6
  Permanent River 48,563 43.1
  Intermittent River 5,728 5.1
  Drainage Ditches 4,115 3.7
  Landlocked 50,161 44.5
  Water 79 0.1
       
Geomorphology Wells-Rush River Ground Moraine (042) 42,884 38.1
  Blue Earth Till Plain (066) 30,616 27.2
  Minnesota Lake Plain (046) 12,083 10.7
  Minnesota Valley Outwash (032) 9,957 8.8
  Hayward-Owatonna Moraine (35C) 8,008 7.1
  Blue Earth-Garden City Ground Moraine (044) 4,708 4.2
  Lonsdale-Lerdal Till Region (033) 3,473 3.1
  Waconia-Waseca Moraine (034) 939 0.8
       
Crop Productivity Low productivity 516 0.5
  Medium productivity 15,279 13.6
  High productivity 96,871 86.0
       
Precipitation Between 26-28 inches 3,458 3.1
  Between 28-30 inches 8,949 7.9
  Between 30-32 inches 94,253 83.7
  Between 32-34 inches 6,007 5.3
       
Growing Degree Days 1750-2000 Degree Days 59 0.1
  2000-2250 Degree Days 3,063 2.7
  2250-2500 Degree Days 53,352 47.4
  2500-2750 Degree Days 56,193 49.9
       
* Expressed as acres or percent for agroecoregions area in the Minnesota River Basin


Last Updated on 11/2/97
By Ananda Mallawatantri
Email: ananda@soils.umn.edu