About Comfort Lake - Forest Lake Watershed District

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is the area within the geographic boundaries of land that drain into a surface water feature such as a stream, river, or lake and contributes to the recharge of groundwater. Watersheds are divided by areas of higher elevation that cause the drainage patterns of surface water within the watershed.

There are 81 major watersheds in Minnesota, some of which overlap into adjoining states. Together, these watersheds make up the State's ten drainage basins. The Comfort Lake - Forest Lake Watershed is a sub-watershed of the St. Croix River Watershed and is located in southern Chisago County.

Because water is continually moving, it is a resource that tends to be more difficult to manage on the basis of linear political boundaries. Municipal and county lines, based on the rectangular grid of original government surveys, are not often well suited for the management of water resources.

What is a Watershed District?

In 1955, the Minnesota Legislature passed the Watershed Act in order to better address water-related issues and concerns occurring within the state at the watershed level. Watershed Districts are special purpose units of local government that have been created to help prevent and solve water resource problems on a watershed basis. The boundaries of a watershed generally follow the hydrologic or topographical limits of an area or region.