Getchell Creek, located near Melrose, MN, is listed as an impaired water by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Furthermore, the creek is a tributary of the Sauk River; another impaired water. To better understand the creek's impairment and to determine remediation methods, a GIS study was performed to examine the possible effects of land use on water quality. Watershed characteristics, such as slope, land use and locations of tributaries and agricultural drainage ditches, were identified and assembled into a geographical information map for use by watershed managers and the public. Based upon this information, locations of future water quality monitoring stations will be evaluated.