SW -

I work right next to the Minnesota River & I'm staring at it right now, as I type these words.  It certainly would be one of the LAST places I choose to canoe at this particular moment.  The last of the ice flows & some pretty darned big branches & even full-fledged trees are zooming right along in its rapid-moving brown water.  Yikes!  Could be suicidal to paddle it today!  I'm located about fifteen miles southwest of the Belle Plaine entry point you mention.  

I follow right along the Minnesota every day going to & from work, often wondering how it would be to paddle.    Somewhere along the line I grabbed a few pamphlets about paddling it & have noted the remarks & limits concerning eating any fish caught in it.  MANY of my employees catch & eat those fish REGULARLY.  Of course, that may explain a few things about their behaviors, sometimes.

You're quite right about the river & the valley that holds it.  I sincerely hope more efforts are made to clean up some of the pollutants you have identified.  I think I'll give it a couple more months before I try paddling it, though.  The way its looking just now, I could probably reach Belle Plaine in 2-3 hours... IF I didn't get run over by icebergs first!

Jimbo   8-)