Lake Shaokatan and Yellow Medicine Sub-Watersheds Implementation Project

Lake Shaokatan and its 13.9 square mile watershed is the headwaters of Yellow Medicine River, which is one of the thirteen major watersheds in the Minnesota River and the largest watershed in Lincoln County. The primary land use is agriculture with the major crops being corn and soybeans. The trend for significant soil loss is due to the nature of the topography with the highest point in the Yellow Medicine Watershed in Lincoln County being 1,960 feet and the lowest being 1,160 feet, a drop of 800 feet in 25 miles.
The Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District, in cooperation with the Yellow Medicine Watershed District will target project implementation in the watersheds of Lake Shaokatan, main stem and south branch of the Yellow Medicine River Watershed with identified surface water impairments. Currently, 20 projects and willing landowners are identified and scheduled to be surveyed, designed and ready for construction starting in the spring of 2013. Projects include 15-Water and Sediment Control Basins, one grade stabilization structure, one feedlot, seven wetland restorations, 50-acres filter strips and ten alternative intakes will be implemented to reduce pollutants and sediment by 360 tons and phosphorus by 516 pounds per year.