Little Rock Creek Watershed

- - The Little Rock Creek Watershed lies within the North Central Harwood Forest ecoregion, within the Mississippi River - Sartell watershed. Located North of St. Cloud, MN, the 67,650 acre watershed is nearly evenly split between Benton and Morrison Counties with 36,030 acres in Benton County and 31,620 acres in Morrison County. Land use within the watershed consists of 60% cultivated land, 20% grassland, and 14% forested land. Only 2.4% of the land is urban and residential, according to the Land Management Information Center's 1989 land use data.
    
    Animal agriculture operations within this watershed include poultry, hog, and dairy operations located on marginal soils which require careful management. Irrigated cash crops consisting of corn, soybeans, rye, wheat, potatoes, and kidney beans are being grown in this area. Soils in this area have high infiltration rates which increase the potential for ground water contamination. Supplemental moisture is needed, in most cases, to produce a profitable crop. These soils are located primarily in the western half of the watershed.
    
    In general, the headwater portions of the watershed are located in glacial till, consisting of drumlin landforms. Soils tend to be sandy loam in texture and exhibit inherently high phosphorus levels. The landscape is moderately steep with slopes of 2 to 6 percent. Wetlands are abundant in these areas as well, although many have been drained to various degrees. The lower reaches of the streams generally are located in glacial outwash. Soils are sandy with nearly level slopes. A high percentage of cropland in the sandy western areas of the watershed is irrigated.