An effort is underway to protect and improve water quality in the almost one million acre Rum River Watershed. With its beginning at Lake Mille Lacs, most of the Rum River is a State Scenic and Recreational Waterway. The Rum is known for canoeing, smallmouth bass fishing, and high water quality. Many of the watershed's tributaries and lakes, including lakes George and East Twin, are also of high quality.
The Rum River Watershed Restoration and Protection Project (WRAP) just began and it aims to protect all of this. Some lakes and streams in the watershed area are "impaired" and fail to meet state water quality standards. For these, a plan for improvement or Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study will be completed.