The Metropolitan Surface Water Management Act of 1982 required all land in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area to be divided into watersheds, each watershed to be overseen by a Watershed Management Organization (WMO), and each WMO to adopt a Watershed Management Plan. These plans must be updated at least every ten years. The Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission’s Third Generation plan was approved by the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) on September 23, 2015, and adopted by the Commission on October 14, 2015.