A watershed is an area of land where the all of the water drains to a common waterway, such as a stream and includes all of the land and activities that affects the waterway. Watersheds can be small and localized, such as the area affecting a small tributary. As individual tributaries flow into larger streams and rivers, they become part of a larger watershed. Mercer County watersheds include: Knife River, Square Butte Creek and Lake Sakakawea; and sub-watersheds: Goodman Creek, Antelope Creek, Coyote & Elm Creek, Spring Creek and Brady Creek.

Goodman Creek 319 Watershed Project

The Mercer County Soil Conservation District (SCD) is sponsoring a 319 watershed project in the Goodman Creek Watershed area of Mercer County. This project has been funded through the ND Department of Health which receives its funding from the EPA. The Goodman Creek Watershed Project is designed to provide technical, financial and educational assistance to landowners within the watershed.

Applying Best Management Practices (BMPs), such as pipelines and tanks, provides fresh water for livestock and pulls them away from the creek and riparian areas. Planting trees provide cover for livestock, control snow, provide stream bank stability and promote healthy riparian areas and streams. The goal for Goodman Creek Watershed is to restore and or maintain the aquatic life and recreational uses of Goodman Creek and its tributaries by reducing the E. coli levels. We achieve this by:

• Applying buffer strips between crops and the riparian area
• Applying grazing rotations
• Manage feeding areas
• Reducing livestock's access to the riparian area

Eligible watershed practices include:

• Riparian Restoration
• Filter Strips
• Pipelines
• Shelterbelt
• Watering Tanks
• Forage and Bio Mass Plantings
• Cross Fencing

No project is too big or too small. Do your part to improve water quality and riparian areas in your area and we will help you financially and technically. For more information contact:

All programs and services of the Mercer County Soil Conservation Districts are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, marital status or handicap.