Preliminary Public Waters Inventory Maps Released
Over the summer, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began their review and update of the Public Waters inventory (PWI) as mandated by the 2024 legislature. The DNR recently released the preliminary map for Aitkin, Benton, Blue Earth, and Clay counties. The DNR has opened up a 60-day review and comment period on the preliminary map and will be holding a public meeting to go over any additions and removal from the PWI. Impacted landowners should have received direct mail notice if a change has been made to the map. As an MCGA member, we encourage you to review the preliminary map and attend the public meetings that are scheduled for your county. To review the preliminary map, please go to the DNR’s PWI update website under the public input opportunities tab you will find a preliminary map and list of proposed changes. The Public meeting date and location for the four counties is below:
Aitkin County
- Comment period: Dec. 29, 2025 to Feb. 27, 2026
- Public meeting: 6 p.m., Jan. 28, 2026 at Aitkin Public Library, Community Room, 110 First Avenue NE, Aitkin
Benton County
- Comment period: Dec. 27, 2025 to Feb. 25, 2026
- Public meeting: 6 p.m., Jan. 26, 2026 at Foley High School, 840 Norman Avenue N, Foley
Blue Earth County
- Comment period: Dec. 22, 2025 to Feb. 21, 2026
- Public meeting: 6 p.m., Jan. 22, 2026 at South Central College (North Mankato Campus), 1920 Lee Boulevard, North Mankato
Clay County
- Comment period: Dec. 20, 2025 to Feb. 19 2026
- Public meeting: 6 p.m., Jan. 20, 2026 at Hjemkomst Center, 202 1st Avenue N, Moorhead
The Public Waters Inventory Update Project is meant to address known errors identified by the DNR. Key updates include adding trout streams and tributaries identified since the 1990s, and correcting classification errors found during the 2016 Buffer Protection Map initiative. Review will include other DNR-identified errors. The DNR will release preliminary maps for Brown, Chisago, Crow Wing, and Douglas counties later this year.
The 2024 legislature provided funding for the PWI update through 2032. The DNR has set a goal of completing an average of 12 counties a year, and the department plans to update four counties at a time—one in each of its four administrative regions. Counties will be updated on a quasi-alphabetical basis, with adjustment as needed to defer areas with intricate topics such as ongoing trout stream designations.
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association, along with our ag partners, are actively engaged as the DNR utilizes these funds to make the necessary updates and corrections that are long overdue. MCGA will also continue to advocate for legislative correction to provide more certainty to farmers on what is or is not a public water. (Unfortunately, the 2024 law that allocated funding to update the PWI requires the use of the statutory definition to determine whether a water body is a public water beginning in 2027.) We will continue to argue that the PWI should provide certainty to farmers.
