Background
Channel Morphology
Indicators
Pollution
Solutions
100
The Vermillion River is classified as this type of river.
What is meandering/prairie river.
100
For centuries, this process has been used by farmers to help section off pieces of land and to help control flooding.
What is channel straightening.
100
This is the most critical habitat factor for the survival of the brown trout species.
What is temperature.
100
This is most common way a non-point source pollution enters a watershed.
What is surface run-off.
100
This mitigation strategy involves planting vegetation along the banks of streams
What are riparian buffers?
200
This is historically the most prevalent land use in the Vermillion River Watershed.
What is agriculture?
200
This is one of the main causes in increased erosion and turbidity within a watershed system.
What is increased speed.
200
This is an indicator of excessive nutrient levels in waters.
What is eutrophication?
200
This is the most common nutrient pollutant from agriculture.
What is nitrogen
200
This strategy can decrease the impacts of urban runoff from impervious surfaces.
What are rain gardens?
300
This is the type of land use with the highest growth rate within the watershed
What is development?
300
This is a measure of water clarity and is an indicator of water quality.
What is turbidity.
300
This is an indicator of the amount and intensity of urban runoff.
What are impervious surfaces?
300
This bacteria from sewage and animal waste is one the categories for which the Vermillion River is impaired.
What is fecal coliform.
300
This agricultural practice involves farmers planting vegetation on their land in the off-season and can decrease erosion during the spring thaw and other storm events.
What is a cover crop
400
This legislation mandates baseline parameters for water quality
What is the Clean Water Act?
400
This type of study determines the maximum amount of a pollutant a body of water can receive (also known as a loading capacity) without violating water quality standards
What is a total maximum daily load (TMDL) study.
400
These organisms are an indicator of clean water and healthy trout populations.
What are macroinvertebrates
400
This basis of the food chain in a river system has phosphorus as its limiting nutrient.
What is phytoplankton.
400
With this practice, farmers carefully monitor fertilizer inputs to make sure that they are only using the amount that crops will uptake.
What is precision agriculture?
500
This species was introduced into the Vermillion Watershed in the 1970s
What is the brown trout.
500
In 2008 the MPCA listed this Vermillion River turbidity status measurement as impaired. The MPCA reported that the Lower Vermillion River had monitored turbidity levels constantly exceeding the Minnesota state standard of 25.
What is a nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU).
500
This is an indicator for potential of e-coli infection in a stream.
What is fecal coliform?
500
This nutrient clings to soil particles and becomes mobile through erosion.
What is phosphorous?
500
This strategy is used to slow stream flow and decrease the stream's surface area, decreasing turbidity and cooling the stream.
What is re-meandering
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