One Watershed One Plan

The Sauk River Watershed (070102020) lies in the heart of rural central Minnesota, encompassing a complex system of integrated lakes and streams.  Located in the North Central Hardwoods Ecoregion, the Sauk River watershed transitions from an agricultural, semi-forested landscape in the northern region to a highly concentrated agricultural landscape in the central region to a very urbanized area in the southern region.

The Sauk River Watershed covers a large land area, over 1,042 square miles. The Sauk River originates from Osakis Lake, near the city of Osakis and flows southeasterly 134.9 river miles (MNDNR, 2011) to the city of St. Cloud, where it joins the Mississippi River. The watershed, like the Sauk River, extends in a northwest to southeast direction (see map below).