Minnesota Statutes Water (Ch. 103A-114B) § 103D.201. Watershed district purposes

(1) to control or alleviate damage from flood waters;

(2) to improve stream channels for drainage, navigation, and any other public purpose;

(3) to reclaim or fill wet and overflowed land;

(4) to provide a water supply for irrigation;

(5) to regulate the flow of streams and conserve the streams' water;

(6) to divert or change all or part of watercourses;

(7) to provide or conserve water supply for domestic, industrial, recreational, agricultural, or other public use;

(8) to provide for sanitation and public health, and regulate the use of streams, ditches, or watercourses to dispose of waste;

(9) to repair, improve, relocate, modify, consolidate, and abandon all or part of drainage systems within a watershed district;

(10) to control or alleviate soil erosion and siltation of watercourses or water basins;

(11) to regulate improvements by riparian property owners of the beds, banks, and shores of lakes, streams, and wetlands for preservation and beneficial public use;

(12) to provide for hydroelectric power generation;

(13) to protect or enhance the water quality in watercourses or water basins;  and

(14) to provide for the protection of groundwater and regulate its use to preserve it for beneficial purposes.