Since the arrival of European settlers to the region, the water quality of the rivers, lakes and streams in the Cannon River has been greatly reduced. Among the factors affecting water has been the construction of several dams on the Cannon River. These dams have provided power for mills at a great cost to the river's species. The dams impede the flow of silt in the river, causing a buildup which is not the natural substate to the river. Dams also impede the animals' travel and can hinder reproduction of fish and other species.
The conversion of woodlands to farmlands has caused significant erosion in the past two-hundred years. Silt from the land ends up in waterways, greatly affecting the clarity of the water which in turn affects photosynthetic organisms at the bottom of the food chain. Modern agriculture causes in the leaching of certain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates into waterways which results in eutrophication. This superabundance of algae impedes the path of light into water, can void the water of oxygen (especially in lakes), and often affects the food-chain yielding higher populations of carp and other algae-eating species while diminishing the numbers of clear-water species such as bass or trout.
Local industrial and sewage pollution have contaminated the waterways in the Cannon River Watershed. For example, wastewater treatment plants were not built in the major towns such as Northfield or Faribault until the late 1950's, after the river was found to pose a public health risk. Smaller towns, such as Dundas still dump raw sewage into the river as they await the building of these expensive, yet crucial facilities. Though water quality of the region has been drastically affected in the past two centuries, there is significant public concern and hope for improvement.
The Cannon River Watershed Partnership is a 500- member, non-profit organization which is adminstered by three full-time and two part-time employees in an office in Faribault, MN.
Mission of Cannon River Watershed Partnership:
To Protect and improve the surface and groundwater resources and natural systems of the Cannon River Watershed by:
- Coordinating existing local and state government and citizen resources in implementation of local water plans
- instilling a sense of watershed pride through education, information, and special events
- and providing for cooperative management and protection of the watershed
Perhaps the best-loved feature of historic Northfield, MN is its dam. Once used to power a flour mill, the dam is now treasured for its aesthetic value. It creates a small artificial lake and is the centerpiece of the proud town's river-front historical area. Northfield does not own this monument, however. The Dam is owned by the Malt-O-Meal corporation which bought it from the Ames Mill in 1927. The dam is visibly in a state of disrepair. It is quite possible that the Malt-O-Meal Corporation will grow weary of footing the bill for the town's treasure and wish to relinquish ownership of the dam. It is also possible that the structure will simply become too expensive for anyone to maintain and perhaps be removed someday. However, there is a tremendous build-up of silt above the dam and the relaese of this mass could be highly deletarious to species downstream, particularly those in the substrates. The subject of our study here in the Carleton College department of biology has been to estimate the effects that would ensue on mussel species downstream if the Northfield dam were to be removed.
Source: Robbins, Chris. Cannon River Watershed Plan. Cannon River Watershed Partnership. Faribault MN, 1996.