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Introduction <br />Draining a total of 392,320 acres (613 square miles), the Elk River Watershed covers much of Sherburne <br />and Benton Counties as well as small portions of Mille Lacs and Morrison Counties in mid-Minnesota <br />(Figure 1). The headwaters begin in northern Benton County before running south / southeast, collecting <br />water from numerous sources before it spills into the Mississippi River within the City of Elk River. Along <br />its path, the main stem Elk River runs through several lakes including Big Elk Lake (710141) and Lake Orono <br />(710013). There are numerous tributary streams (Lily Creek, Battle Brook, Snake River, St. Francis River, <br />Tibbets Creek, County ditches, etc.) and upstream lakes (Briggs, Julia, Rush, Eagle, Birch, Little Elk, <br />Fremont, Big, Mitchell, etc.) within the watershed as well that drain to the Elk River. This entire land mass <br />drains water that eventually spills through Lake Orono and then the Mississippi River. <br /> <br />Figure 1: Elk River Watershed, central / eastern Minnesota. <br />1 <br /> <br />