Public Waters (PW) Basin and Watercourse Delineations
Go to Section:- Overview
- Data Quality
- Data Organization
- Coordinate System
- Attributes
- Distribution - Get Data
- Metadata Reference
Section 1: Overview
Originator:Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR)
Title:
Public Waters (PW) Basin and Watercourse Delineations
Abstract:
These are provisional representations of Public Waters Basins (lakes, wetlands) and Watercourses (streams, altered channels) as depicted on the scanned paper regulatory maps and lists known as Public Waters Inventory (PWI). Public Waters (formerly called Protected Waters) are defined in MN Rule and are protected by specific permitting requirements.
Permits for Water Appropriation, Public Waters Work and Dam Safety are available from the MNDNR Permitting and Reporting System (MPARS): http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mpars/index.html
Lake Shoreland Classifications are included in the Basin feature attribute table and can be displayed by loading the designated layer file included in the File Geodatabase download. More information on Shoreland Classification can be found here: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/shoreland/lake_shoreland_classifications.html
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Minnesota Administrative Rules - Chapter 6115 Public Water Resources
http://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/?id=6115
Public Waters Inventory
http://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=103G.201
Definitions http://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/?id=6120.3000
Subd. 15 Public waters. (a) "Public waters" means:
(1) water basins assigned a shoreland management classification by the commissioner under sections 103F.201 to 103F.221; see http://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/?id=6120.3000
(2) waters of the state that have been finally determined to be public waters or navigable waters by a court of competent jurisdiction;
(3) meandered lakes, excluding lakes that have been legally drained;
(4) water basins previously designated by the commissioner for management for a specific purpose such as trout lakes and game lakes pursuant to applicable laws;
(5) water basins designated as scientific and natural areas under section 84.033;
(6) water basins located within and totally surrounded by publicly owned lands;
(7) water basins where the state of Minnesota or the federal government holds title to any of the beds or shores, unless the owner declares that the water is not necessary for the purposes of the public ownership;
(8) water basins where there is a publicly owned and controlled access that is intended to provide for public access to the water basin;
(9) natural and altered watercourses with a total drainage area greater than two square miles;
(10) natural and altered watercourses designated by the commissioner as trout streams; and
(11) public waters wetlands, unless the statute expressly states otherwise.
(b) Public waters are not determined exclusively by the proprietorship of the underlying, overlying, or surrounding land or by whether it is a body or stream of water that was navigable in fact or susceptible of being used as a highway for commerce at the time this state was admitted to the union.
Purpose:
These data were developed as an aid in making regulatory decisions regarding Public Waters Basins and Watercourses. State Shoreland Classifications are also included in the Public Waters Basins.
Time Period of Content Date:
06/10/2020
Currentness Reference:
Time Period of Content date indicates the date which the user can be confident of accuracy and completeness of the dataset.
Progress:
Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency:
As needed
Spatial Extent of Data:
Bounding Coordinates:
-96.811011
-91.023379
49.379229
43.436166
Place Keywords:
Minnesota, MN
Theme Keywords:
Inland Waters, Hydrography, Water, Public Waters, Basins, Watercourses, Regulation, Shoreland Classification
Theme Keyword Thesaurus:
ISO 19115 Category
Access Constraints:
None
Use Constraints:
These are provisional data. Users are expected to contact the appropriate Area and Regional Hydrologist before taking any actions that may affect a regulated basin or watercourse.
Area Hydrologist phone numbers can be found at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/contact/locator.html
See the MNDNR Permitting and Reporting System (MPARS): http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mpars/index.html to file a Public Waters Work permit.
Use of the data are constrained only by the MNDNR GIS Data License Agreement. See the Distribution Liability section below for a link.
Contact Person Information:
Andrea Bergman,
GIS Data Steward
Minnesota DNR - Ecological and Water Resources
500 Lafayette Rd
Saint Paul,
MN
55155
Phone: 651-259-5690
Email: andrea.bergman@state.mn.us
Section 2: Data Quality
Attribute Accuracy:
Logical Consistency:
Not Specifically Assessed
Completeness:
Horizontal Positional Accuracy:
Lineage:
Waterbodies and watercourses were identified from scanned paper Public Waters Inventory (PWI) maps and digitized from current aerial photography.
2019-07-31: Eliminated County and City Shoreland Classification from the attribute table. DNR maintains the State Shoreland Classification in the attribute field: dnr_shoreland_class. Users interested in County or City Shoreland Classifications should contact DNR Land Use staff or the County or City directly.
Section 3: Spatial Data Organization (not used in this metadata)
Section 4: Coordinate System
Horizontal Coordinate Scheme:
Universal Transverse Mercator
UTM Zone Number:
15
Horizontal Datum:
NAD83
Horizontal Units:
meters
Vertical Datum:
not applicable
Vertical Units:
Not Applicable
Depth Datum:
not applicable
Depth Units:
Not Applicable
Section 5: Attributes
Overview:
Detailed Citation:
Table Detail:
public_waters_watercourses_delineations - Public Waters Watercourses| Field Name | Valid Values | Definition | Definition Source |
|---|
| FW_ID | 0, 100000 to 300000 | Unique Fisheries Watercourse ID for joining/linking stream routes to DNR Fisheries Stream Survey Oracle DB. FW_IDs are assigned based on how the watercourse is managed by DNR Fisheries (an FW_ID may correspond to an entire stream or portion of a stream.) Dummy (invalid) Kittle Numbers have FW_ID = 0. | DNR Fisheries Stream Survey DB |
| KITTLE_NBR | - | Watercourse ID per DNR Fisheries Stream Survey database. A valid KITTLE_NBR has a drainage-branching format 'X-000-000-000...' (See VALID = Y, below). A dummy KITTLE_NBR has the format 'MAJXXXX-xxxxx' (See VALID = N, below). | DNR Fisheries Stream Survey DB |
| KITTLE_NAME | - | Stream Name per DNR Fisheries Stream Survey database | DNR Fisheries Stream Survey DB |
| ROUTE_MI | - | Length of entire stream route in miles. (GIS-calculated.) | DNR Fisheries |
| FROM_MEAS | - | Mile measure for starting (downstream) location of linear feature. (GIS-calculated.) | DNR Fisheries |
| TO_MEAS | - | Mile measure for ending (upstream) location of linear feature. (GIS-calculated.) | DNR Fisheries |
| LENGTH_MI | - | Length of linear feature in miles. (GIS-calculated.) | DNR Fisheries |
| ENTIRE | enumerated | Flag denoting whether entire watercourse route is a Public Waters watercourse. | DNR Fisheries |
| Y | Yes | |
| N | No | |
| VALID | enumerated | Flag to identify validity of assigned Kittle Numbers | DNR Fisheries Stream Survey DB |
| N | Dummy (invalid) Kittle Number assigned by DNR Fisheries; has the format 'MAJXXXX-xxxxx' where MAJXXXX represents the 4-digit code for the HUC04 drainage and -xxxxx is a unique, sequential number. Dummy Kittle Numbers usually pertain to small unmanaged streams and streams outside of MN. | DNR Fisheries |
| Y | Valid Kittle Number assigned by DNR Fisheries; has a valid drainage-branching format 'X-000-000-000...' where X identifies the major drainage (H-Hudson Bay, I-Iowa/Cedar River, M-Mississippi River, S-Lake Superior) and '-000-000-000...' is a branching identifier that lengthens as you move upstream. Valid Kittle Numbers usually pertain to major streams and/or streams that have had some type of DNR management. | DNR Fisheries |
| LABEL | - | A concatenation of Kittle Name + (Kittle Number) for labeling purposes | DNR Fisheries |
| EVENT_TYPE | enumerated | | |
| PW | Public Water Watercourse | |
| PUBLISH_DATE | - | Date the GIS layer was published or updated and re-published. | DNR Fisheries |
| PWI_ID | - | A county-based code denoting a specific segment of a Public Waters watercourse. | DNR EWR |
| PWI_FLAG | enumerated | A code denoting the type of Public Watercourse | DNR EWR |
| 1 | Public Water Natural Watercourse | |
| 2 | Public Water Altered Natural Watercourse (includes ditches) | |
| PWI_LABEL | - | Text description of PWI_FLAG | |
| SQMI2_DRAIN | - | Flag denoting whether watercourse has a drainage area > two square miles at its mouth | |
| SQMI5_DRAIN | - | Flag denoting whether watercourse has a drainage area > five square miles at its mouth | |
| UPSUM_SQMI | - | The sum total of drainage area upstream ofat its mouth | |
| CATCH_ID | - | Catchment ID (DNR Level 09 Autocatchments) that contains the mouth of the Public Waters watercourse. The total upstream drainage area (UPSUM_SQMI) is calculated from (and includes) this catchment. | |
| CONTENT_DATE | - | | |
public_waters_basin_delineations| Field Name | Valid Values | Definition | Definition Source |
|---|
| DOWLKNUM | - | Waterbody ID per DNR Ecological and Water Resources (EWR) Division's LAKESDB database; the DOWLKNUM may end in"00" (entire basin) or "01","02", etc. (sub-basin | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| PW_BASIN_NAME | - | Public Waters Basin name per DNR Ecological and Water Resources Division's LAKESDB database | |
| PW_PARENT_NAME | - | Public Waters Basin parent name (corresponding to DOWLKNUMs ending in '00') per DNR Ecological and Water Resources Division's LAKESDB database | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| PW_SUB_NAME | - | Public Waters Basin sub-basin name (corresponding to DOWLKNUMs not ending in '00') per DNR Ecological and Water Resources Division's LAKESDB database | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| SUB_FLAG | - | Flag denoting whether the delineation represents an entire basin '00' or sub-basin '01','02', etc. | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| DOW_MAIN | - | Waterbody ID per DNR Ecological and Water Resources (EWR) Division's LAKESDB database for the entire basin, DOW_MAIN will end in "00"; it will match the DOWLKNUM for basins that do not have subbasins; it will represent the combined parent basin ID for the subbasin components. | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| GNIS_ID | - | USGS Geographic Names Information System ID | USGS GNIS |
| GNIS_NAME | - | USGS Geographic Names Information System Name | USGS GNIS |
| WETTYPE | - | Wetland Type per EWR LAKESDB database | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| PWI_CLASS | enumerated | Public Waters class per EWR LAKESDB database | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| E | Exempt from Public Waters designation | |
| N | Not a Public Waters basin | |
| O | P Public Waters basin (type=other) | |
| P | Public Waters basin (lake, pond) | |
| W | Public Waters Wetland | |
| PWI_LABEL | - | Text description of PWI_CLASS | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| dnr_shoreland_class | enumerated | Shoreland classification assigned to basin or subbasin by the MN DNR Division of Ecological and Water Resources Shoreland Management Program | DNR EWR |
| Natural Environment | Lakes with limited capacities for withstanding the impacts of development and recreational use. They are often small, shallow, and/or have substantial developmental constraints or sensitive features (e.g., high water tables, wild rice) and do not have much existing development or recreational use. | Minnesota Rules 6120.3000 Subpart 1a.A. |
| Recreational Development | Generally medium sized lakes characterized by moderate levels of recreational use and existing development | Minnesota Rules 6120.3000 Subpart 1a.B |
| General Development | Generally large, deep lakes with high levels and assortment of of existing development. They are often extensively used for recreation and are heavily developed . | Minnesota Rules 6120.3000 Subpart 1a.C. |
| Multiple | Basins with more than one DNR shoreland classification, each of which is applicable on certain portions of the basin's shoreline. This typically happens when a basin is found in more than one county, and different shoreland classifications have been assigned in different counties. | |
| buffer_required | - | Indication that a 50-ft buffer is required for the PW basin per the buffer law: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/buffers/index.html | DNR EWR |
| ACRES | - | Surface water acreage of Public Waters basin (corresponding to the OHW-Ordinary HIgh Water Level). This acreage is often greater than the open water as seen on aerail photography | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| SHORE_MI | - | Shoreline length in miles, corresponding to OHW delineation. Includes shoreline around islands. | DNR EWR LAKESDB |
| CENTER_X_UTM | - | UTM Easting (X) of waterbody center | |
| CENTER_Y_UTM | - | UTM Northing (Y) of waterbody center | |
| DELINEATED_BY | - | Abbreviation of Agency/Division who digitized the feature | |
| DELINEATION_DATE | - | Date the feature was digitized | |
| DELINEATION_SRC | enumerated | Photo imagery source used for digitizing the polygon feature | DNR Fisheries |
| 1991 DOQ | 1991 black & white digital ortho photoquad | |
| YYYY FSA | 2004-2018 (year specified) color Farm Service Adminstration photo | |
| LAM | DNR Lands and Minerals polygon | |
| ORIG DLG | Original USGS DLG 100K polygon | USGS DLG |
| PWI | Public Water (PWI) polygon representing the Ordinary High Water Level (OHWL) | DNR Public Waters layer |
| DELINEATION_NOTES | - | Notes regarding delineation of the feature. | |
| PUBLISH_DATE | - | Date the feature class was published to the DNR GDRS. | DNR Fisheries |
Section 6: Distribution
Publisher:
MNDNR - Division of Ecological and Water Resources
Publication Date:
07/31/2008
Contact Person Information:
Zeb Thomas,
GIS Data Systems Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Rd
St. Paul,
MN
55155-4011
Phone: 651-259-5637
Email: zeb.thomas@state.mn.us
Distributor's Data Set Identifier:
water_mn_public_waters.gdb
Distribution Liability:
Please read accompanying document: Minnesota DNR Data and Software License Agreement.pdf
Ordering Instructions:
Visit the web site noted in the online linkage section, or send an email to the Distribution Contact listed in this metadata record Online Linkage: I AGREE
to the notice in "Distribution Liability" above. Clicking to agree will either begin the download process, link to a service, or provide more instructions. See "Ordering Instructions" above for details.
Section 7: Metadata Reference
Metadata Date:
06/10/2020
Contact Person Information:
Andrea Bergman,
GIS Hydrologist
Minnesota DNR - Ecological and Water Resources
500 Lafayette Rd
Saint Paul,
MN
55155
Phone: 651-259-5690
Email: andrea.bergman@state.mn.us
Metadata Standard Name:
Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines
Metadata Standard Version:
1.2
