WHAF – Major Watersheds – Combined

This layer depicts the Watershed Health Assessment Framework (WHAF) Combined Watershed Score at the major watershed scale. It was developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Watersheds throughout the state have been evaluated using the WHAF. Multiple indices have been created in five major categories that are important to water quality and watershed health: biology, connectivity, geomorphology, hydrology, and water quality. The Combined Watershed Score is a composite of all of this information. The quality of water within a stream or river, and the value it offers ecologically, is a reflection of the varied processes that occur within its watershed. By offering consistent evaluation of all of the major watersheds of the state, the WHAF allows for the relative comparison of different watersheds through more than 20 indices. To fully explore the WHAF and the data that has developed, visit their website at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/whaf/index.html.