Dye Trace Report Gorman Creek Trace: March 2011 Wabasha County, Minnesota

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 aquifers that provide discharge to these streams are dominated by conduit-flow. Field investigations into the flow characteristics of these aquifers have been conducted using fluorescent dyes to map groundwater springsheds and characterize groundwater flow velocities for use in water resource protection. Gorman Creek is one of these designated trout streams. The creek is located roughly 14 kilometers (8.5 mi.) northeast of Plainview, Minnesota in Wabasha County (Figure 1). This trace was completed to add to delineated springsheds of the region as part of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) Springshed Mapping project.