Watershed Districts

Afton has several watershed districts and management organizations within its borders. They are:

  • Valley Branch Watershed District;
  • Middle St. Croix Watershed Management Organization;
  • Lower St. Croix Watershed Management Organization; and,
  • South Washington Watershed District.

The Valley Branch Watershed District includes a majority of the City of Afton, portions of West Lakeland, Baytown Township, nearly the entire City of Lake Elmo and portions of Woodbury, Oakdale, Pine Springs, Grant and Mahtomedi. The head of the watershed is the western boundary of Washington County in Mahtomedi.

Valley Creek stream flows in a southeasterly direction toward the Old Village of Afton. Valley Creek, which empties into the St. Croix River approximately one-half mile north of the Old Village, drains only that portion of the Valley Branch Watershed District up to the minor watershed surrounding Mays Lake (Lake Edith).

Previously, Valley Creek was the ultimate drainage-way for practically all of the water in the Valley Branch Watershed District. With the District’s completion of Project 1007 in 1987 and 1988, the water from the upper portion of the Valley Branch Watershed District was rerouted in an easterly direction from a storage site in West Lakeland Township to the St. Croix River using the drainage-way constructed for Interstate 94. 

VBWD 2015 Draft Watershed Management Plan Comment period from 3/15/15 to 5/12/15
SWWD Watershed District Rules Rules adopted at 01-13-2015 Public Hearing
SWWD Watershed Management Plan 10 Year Update Request for Information due by March 9, 2015