The Minnesota River near Jordan is the stretch of the river that enters into the seven county metropolitan area. Several major tributaries enter into the Minnesota River within this stretch, including Bevens, Carver, and Sand Creeks. Some of the surrounding areas of this part of the river are included in the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area and Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.The Minnesota River at Jordan, River Mile 39.4 is one of the main monitoring stations of the Council's Large Rivers Conventional Monitoring Project. It measures the water quality of the Minnesota River that enters into the seven county metropolitan area, before the water flows through downstream developed areas and passes the Blue Lake and Seneca Wastewater Treatment Facilities. USGS station 05330000 is located near this water quality monitoring station and measures hydrological data of the river.The Minnesota River is a 332 mile long tributary of the Mississippi River which originates from Big Stone Lake near the border of South Dakota and Minnesota. The watershed of the river covers roughly 17,000 square miles. The geology of the watershed is relatively young compared to other areas of Minnesota, and as a result there is a lot of erosion activity in the Minnesota River and its tributaries. Much of the watershed has been converted into cropland to take advantage of the nutrient rich soil in the region.