Thief River One Watershed One Plan (1W1P)

The Thief River Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan is undergoing a mid-point review and minor amendment. The amendment will simplify some of the goals and refocus priority areas based on new information. To complete the amendment process, there will be a 30-day review period for the draft plan.   

Thief River CWMP 2026 Minor Amendment 30 Day Review - 2026

Tracked Changes - Word Documents

 Midpoint Evaluation Memo for the Thief River Watershed Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan

Thief River Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan - February 2020
Map of Thief River watershed showing planning regions, rivers, and project areas for 2020-2021.

Thief River One Watershed, One Plan

The Thief River watershed is one of seven areas that participated in the second round of One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P) projects that have been approved by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). Several local agencies, including the Red Lake Watershed District, Pennington County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Marshall County SWCD, and the Beltrami County SWCD cooperated to create a single plan for the watershed.

Cooperation throughout multiple, connected jurisdictions is important because water management in Beltrami County affects the waters of Marshall County. Water management in Marshall County, in turn, affects the waters of Pennington County. Participation in the 1W1P Program will benefit the LGUs by combining our planning efforts and reducing redundancy in time and dollars used for plan writing and meetings.

The 1W1P established clear implementation timelines, milestones and cost estimates for restoration and protection activities. Combining multiple water planning efforts into one effort will create a more efficient and cooperative plan for water management. The plan includes goals and implementation actions that are prioritized and targeted on a watershed basis with measurable results.

The Thief River Watershed was awarded $529,892 in Watershed-Based Implementation Funding for the 2020-2021 Biennial Work Plan. 

Draft Thief River Watershed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) documents have been written and are being prepared for public review. Completed reports and other resources that provide information about the Thief River Watershed can be found on the Thief River Documents page.

News & Updates.

  • A cooperative effort to investigate the feasibility of a Mud River channel restoration project within Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) began in early 2021 with meetings and an intensive survey completed by HDR Engineering, Inc. Staff from the Red Lake Watershed District, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service spent two days collecting soil boring data at key sites along the historic Mud River channel within Agassiz NWR. The planning of the project was transferred to a Red River Watershed Management Board Project Work Team to fund and facilitate ongoing investigation and planning.  
  • Stabilization of the Judicial Ditch 23 outlet, north of Thief Rive Falls is nearly complete. Rock stabilization structures and side water inlets have been installed. Some touch-up work will be needed to fully complete the project in 2022. 
  • The RLWD has been stabilizing several stretches of streambank along the Lower Thief River each year, starting in 2021. Sites have been prioritized based on bank erosion hazard index rating scores and newer problems identified during in-person inspections. 
  • A LiDAR difference grid analysis was completed for the watershed that compared elevations in 2021 LiDAR data to those in 2009 data. Areas that have lost elevation are highlighted on the landscape and help us identify and prioritize projects for areas with active erosion.
  • Soil and Water Conservation Dsitricts have been implementing side water inlet projects and non-structural (cover crops, etc) practices in priority areas. 
  • A grade stabilization project was completed along the Moose River/JD 21 in 2025.  

Thief River 1W1P Documents and Links

Public hearing record (video, minutes)

Draft 2020 Bylaws AmendmentPresentation to BWSR Northern Regional Committee on March 4, 2020: PowerpointPresentation to BWSR Northern Regional Committee on March 4, 2020: PDFLegal Notice of the December 2, 2019 Public Hearing on the draft Thief River 1W1PComments and Revisions from the 60-day Public Review and Comment PeriodAugust 2018 PTMApp Targeted Implementation Scenario DecisionsJuly 6, 2018 Zonation PresentationJune 2018 Thief River 1W1P ScheduleApril 2018 Priority Issues RankingMarch 2018 Priority Matrix JustificationDraft Protection and Restoration Maps: Total Suspended SolidsDraft Protection and Restoration Maps: E. coliDraft Protection and Restoration Maps: Dissolved OxygenDraft Protection and Restoration Maps: Total PhosphorusDraft Protection and Restoration Maps: Index of Biotic IntegrityProviding Input on Priority Resource Concerns and IssuesFinal Work Plan for the planning process

Committee Members

Advisory Committee MembersPolicy Committee Members

Planning Team Contacts:

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