Main Stem BAssett Creek

About Main Stem Basset Creek

Bassett Creek is the defining hydraulic feature of the Bassett Creek watershed. The Main Stem of Bassett Creek begins downstream of the Medicine Lake outlet, which is located at the south end of Medicine Lake. The Main Stem flows southeast through Plymouth and then easterly through Golden Valley, Crystal, and Minneapolis. The last portion of Bassett Creek flows through a 1.7-mile long tunnel and enters the Mississippi River downstream of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam.

The drainage area upstream of the headwaters of the Main Stem of Bassett Creek is about 18 square miles. Two branches of Bassett Creek, the North Branch and the Sweeney Lake Branch, join the Main Stem between Medicine Lake and the tunnel. Ultimately the entire 39-square-mile drainage area of the Bassett Creek watershed is tributary to the Main Stem of Bassett Creek.

Much of the creek flows through highly developed areas where there is limited space fora vegetated buffer between the creek and the adjacent impervious surfaces. This environment increases the potential for streambank erosion and associated negative water quality impacts. The Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC) has performed stream restoration projects along multiple reaches of the Main Stem.

The BCWMC monitors the Main Stem's water quality at a location near the tunnel entrance in cooperation with the Metropolitan Council through its Watershed Outlet Monitoring Program (WOMP). The Main Stem of Bassett Creek is included on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's (MPCA) Impaired Waters list. Impairments include aquatic life, due to chloride levels and fish bioassements, and aquatic recreation, due to fecal coliform bacteria levels. The Main Stem of Bassett Creek was included in the MPCA's Upper Mississippi River Bacteria TMDL and Protection Plan, which was approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2014 and addresses the impairment due to fecal coliform.

Quick Facts

¹ Length of the Main Stem from the outlet of Medicine Lake to the entrance of the Bassett Creek Tunnel.
² Cumulative tributary area, not including landlocked basins

Water Quality Data

Click thumbnails below to enlarge

Chloride

Daily Average Stream Flow

Biological Indicators (HBI)

Total Suspended Solids

Total Phosphorus

Bacteria

Links

• Bassett Creek Chloride Trends 2013-2019
• 2018 Bassett Creek Biotic Index Report
• 2015 Basset Creek Biotic Index and Water Quality Monitoring Report
• 2014 Watershed Outlet Monitoring Program (WOMP) Fact Sheet for Bassett Creek
• Bassett Creek Water Quality - 2014 Presentation by Metropolitan Council Environmental Services
• Comprehensive Water Quality Assessment of Bassett Creek - 2014 Report by Metropolitan Council
• 2012 Biotic Index Evaluation of Plymouth Creek and Bassett Creek
• Water Quality and Stream Biotic Monitoring Locations
• Bassett Creek E. coli Bacteria Monitoring Technical Memorandum - 2010
• 2000 Biotic Index Evaluation of Plymouth Creek and Bassett Creek
• Metropolitan Council's Comprehensive Water Quality Assessment of Select Metropolitan Area Streams
• Hennepin County's River Watch Assessments of Bassett Creek

Projects