Seven Mile Creek, a tributary of the Minnesota River, is located in Nicollet County, Minnesota. Its watershed is used primarily for agriculture suggesting possible contamination. Previous research at Seven Mile Creek has overlooked the interaction between groundwater and surface water. By finding discharge zones and sampling both groundwater and surface water at these sites, I was able to determine the impact that
contaminated groundwater has on surface water. Concentrations of nitrate in groundwater at discharge zones were typically under 5 mg/I and chloride concentrations were under 25 mg/1, although surface water concentrations at these sites were typically higher. Groundwater does not enter the surface water with harmful concentrations of nitrate and chloride at most sites, suggesting that other factors such as runoff also
contribute to surface water contamination.