Dye Trace Report on Campbell Valley Creek Houston and Winona Counties, Minnesota 2012-2013

Abstract

The karst lands of southeast Minnesota contain more than one hundred trout streams that receive perennial discharge from Paleozoic bedrock springs. Several of the Paleozoic bedrock units that provide discharge are karst aquifers. Field investigations into the flow characteristics of these formations have been conducted using fluorescent dyes to map groundwater springsheds and characterize groundwater flow velocities for use in water resource protection. Campbell Valley Creek is one of these designated trout streams. The creek is located roughly 64 kilometers (40 mi.) southeast of Rochester, Minnesota in southern Winona and northern Houston counties (Figure 1). Two dye traces were conducted to add to delineated springsheds of the region as part of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) Springshed Mapping project.