Ordinary High Water Level
Ordinary High Water Level (OHWL) is defined in Minnesota State Statue (6120.2500 Definitions, Subp. 11) and in the Le Sueur County Ordinance (section 4) as the boundary of public waters and wetlands, that is an elevation delineating the highest water level which has been maintained for a sufficient period of time to leave evidence upon the landscape, commonly that point where the natural vegetation changes from predominantly aquatic to predominately terrestrial. For a watercourse, the ordinary high water level is the elevation of the top bank of the channel. For reservoirs and flowages, the ordinary high water level is the operating elevation of the normal summer pool.
For more information about the State of Minnesota’s OHWL Definition, please visit their website: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/surfacewater_section/hydrographics/ohw.html