This is a ground-water profile for Minnesota's Red River Valley Region, which is comprised of Clay, Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau and Wilkin Counties. The area has a flat topography with clay-rich, poorly drained soils.
Beach ridges are local recharge areas susceptible to contamination.
Meager water supplies limit economic expansion in some cities in the Red River Valley. There is potential conflict over the water supply due to North Dakota pumping in certain areas. Heavy pumping of overlying drift aquifer may cause the upward flow of lesser quality ground water from the Cretaceous aquifer in some areas. The need for rural water supply systems and the role that they play needs to be better understood. Mapping of buried aquifers to delineate potential water supplies should be expanded.