Road Safety Audits for County Road X-23 from IA 2 to the South Corporate Limits of West Point and for County Road W-62 from US 218 to IA 27 in Lee County, Iowa, 2010

On October 20–21, 2009, two road safety audits were conducted in Lee County, Iowa: one for a 6 mile section of County Road X-23 from IA 2 to the south corporate limits of West Point and one for a 9.7 mile section of County Road W-62 from US 218 to IA 27. Both roads have high severe crash histories for the years of 2001 through 2008. Using these crash data, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) has identified County Road X-23 as being in the top 5 percent of similar roads for run-off-road crashes. The Iowa DOT lists County Road W-62 as a high-risk rural road that has above-average crash numbers and is eligible for funding under the Federal High-Risk Rural Road Program. Considering these issues, the Lee County Engineer and Iowa DOT requested that road safety audits be conducted to address the safety concerns and to suggest possible mitigation strategies.

EPI Update, October 23, 2015

Weekly newsletter for Center For Acute Disease Epidemiology of Iowa Department of Public Health.

Health consultation : E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. County Road X-23 site, Lee County, Iowa EPA facility ID: IAD980685804 (2007)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is completing a third five-year review of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., County Road X-23 Superfund site in Lee County, Iowa. The site is also known as the Baier and McCarl subsites. The EPA is inviting public comment on whether the current site remedy continues to be protective of public health and the environment. The Iowa Department of Public Health in cooperation with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepared this health consultation to review the current status of the Baier and McCarl subsites and to provide an evaluation of the public health status of these subsites. The information in this health consultation was current at the time of writing. Data that emerges later could alter this docum ent’s conclusions and recommendations.

05044-016 Upper Miller Creek Watershed Final Report

A water quality resource concern has come to the forefront in the Upper Miller Creek watershed in Black Hawk County after five to seven inches of rain fell on the area on May 22nd and 23rd of 2004 and unprecedented amounts of soil and organic debris were washed from cultivated areas, clogging most culverts and roadside ditches. The quantity of soil deposited in ditches gave a good indication of the amounts that were transported into the stream. The estimated total cost to Black Hawk County for cleanup and repair within the road right-of-way was $345,000. There were undetermined environmental costs incurred when the incredibly high volumes of soil washed from the fields into Miller Creek which flows directly into the Cedar River that is identified by the Department of Natural Resources as an impaired water body. The Upper Miller Creek Watershed Project is an innovative, collaborative project intended to meet a specific need identified by a local steering committee made up of concerned community agencies and local landowners. Led by the Soil and Water Conservation District and the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors, the Miller Creek Watershed Project seeks to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and reduce county road infrastructure cost by implementing conservation practices, reducing nutrient and pesticide use and improving wildlife habitat.

05040-015 Viking Lake Watershed Final Report

Viking Lake State Park is beautiful resource which has been special to residents of Southwest Iowa and visitors from around the region. Unfortunately, Viking Lake itself is being impacted by non-point source pollution. Water quality conditions are becoming the reason that visitors are shying away from the park instead of flocking to it. To combat these non-point source problems the Viking Lake Water Quality Project has been initiated and $327,000 has been allocated through the Section 319/WSPF Program which will address water quality concerns in the watershed. Additionally, IDNR Fisheries is preparing for an entire renovation of Viking Lake in 2006. One funding gap remains, that may prevent this comprehensive water quality project from achieving a successful endpoint. Funds are still needed for the renovation of malfunctioning septic systems at Viking Village housing development which is adjacent to the park, and has been identified as a primary source of contamination entering the lake. The intent of this application is to secure funds so that these septic system problems can be corrected and water quality conditions of this important natural resource restored for public enjoyment.

1199-000 Soil Nutrient Mass Balance Study

Key Points: • Iowa’s exceptional agricultural productivity is dependent upon nutrient‐rich soils with high carbon and nitrogen stocks. • Soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in Iowa corn‐soybean rotations are at significant risk of long‐term decline. • Soil carbon and nitrogen stocks are a function of crop residue inputs. • Nutrient input levels that do not maximize crop yield and residue production are likely to reduce soil carbon and nitrogen stocks. • If soil carbon and nitrogen stocks decline, water quality improvements become more difficult. • Soil carbon and nitrogen balances are extremely difficult to measure, but positive balances are essential to the future of Iowa agriculture. Recommended Actions: • Accurate measurement of soil carbon and nitrogen balances is exceptionally difficult, but can be accomplished with sufficient investment and long‐term planning. • The ideal approach will include a combination of measurements from farms and experimental networks that manipulate nutrient inputs. • With proper planning and cooperation, Iowa State University and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship can address the concerns raised in this report regarding the future of Iowa’s soil resource and agricultural productivity.

1240-017 Little Bear Creek Watershed Final Report

Little Bear Creek is a 21.79 mile Class A1 and B (WW2) warm water stream that encompasses approximately 29,202 acres in northern Poweshiek County. The lower 8.4 mile segment is listed as biologically impaired on both the IDNR 2008 303(d) list and 2010 303(d) draft list. A RASCAL assessment and landowner survey was completed through a development grant in 2011, and these assessments indicate that erosion and sediment delivery from cropland, lack of adequate buffers along the stream channel, and streambank conditions contribute significant sediment delivery to the stream, likely resulting in the impairment. An estimated 36,544 tons of sediment are delivered to the stream annually. A total of 11,075 acres (38%) of the watershed are high priority areas or land with sediment delivery rates greater than one. Our goal over 15 years is to install Best Management Practices (BMPs) and increase public education in order to reduce sediment and phosphorus delivery by 25% and decrease priority areas by 15%. More specific objectives for this WIRB project are to 1) Reduce annual sediment delivery by roughly 16.3% or 1,058 tons and associated phosphorus delivery by 1,375 pounds and 2) Develop an information and education program aimed at producers and residents within the headwaters of Grant and Chester townships, which account for 18% of the watershed's priority areas. The SWCD proposes to utilize 50% EQIP funds and 25% WIRB funds toward rural BMPs, and 75% WIRB funds toward urban BMPs received through this application.

2015 Calendar Year Annual Report of the Watershed Improvement Review Board

The Watershed Improvement Fund and the Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board (WIRB) were created in 2005. This statute is now codified in Iowa Code Chapter 466A. The fifteen-member Board conducted seven meetings throughout the year in-person or via teleconference. Meetings were held January 23, February 27, April 17, June 18, July 24, September 25 and December 17. Attachment 1 lists the board members and their organization affiliation. The Board completed one Request For Applications (RFA) for the Watershed Improvement Fund. The RFA was announced November 6, 2014 and closed December 29, 2014. December 29, 2014 Closing Date Request For Applications: The Board received 16 applications in response to this RFA. These applications requested $2.8 million in Watershed Improvement Funds and leveraged an additional $9.1 million for a total of $11.9 million of watershed project activity proposed. After reviewing and ranking the applications individually from this RFA, the Board met and selected eight applications for funding. The eight applications were approved for $1,249,861 of Watershed Improvement Funds. Data on the eight selected projects in this RFA include the following: • These projects included portions of 12 counties. • The $1.2 million requested of Watershed Improvement Funds leveraged an additional $4.2 million for a total of $5.4 million in watershed improvements. • Approved projects ranged in funding from $41,980 to $250,000. Attachment 2 lists the approved projects’ name, applicant name, project length, county or counties where located, and funding amount for the RFA. Attachment 3 is a map showing the status of all projects funded since inception of the program. At the end of 2015 there are 111 completed projects and 39 active projects. In cooperation with the Treasurer of State, the WIRB submitted the 2015 year-end report for the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund to the Legislative Services Agency and the Department of Management. Attachment 4 contains the 2015 annual progress reports submitted from active projects or projects finished in 2015.

Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network: Weekly Activity Report Week 3, January 23, 2016

The Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network (IISN) was established in 2004, though surveillance has been conducted at the Iowa Department of Public Health. Schools and long-term care facilities report data weekly into a Web-based reporting system. Schools report the number of students absent due to illness and the total enrolled. Long-term care facilities report cases of influenza and vaccination status of each case. Both passively report outbreaks of illness, including influenza, to IDPH.

Monday Morning Eye Opener, May 23, 2016

Weekly Newsletter from the Northwest District Office for libraries containing programs, activities, classes for the upcoming week.

Iowa Crop Progress & Condition, May 23, 2016

Report produced by the The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Climatology Bureau. Weather report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through October. Formally titled: Iowa Crop and Weather Report

Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network: Weekly Activity Report Week 16, April 23, 2016

The Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network (IISN) was established in 2004, though surveillance has been conducted at the Iowa Department of Public Health. Schools and long-term care facilities report data weekly into a Web-based reporting system. Schools report the number of students absent due to illness and the total enrolled. Long-term care facilities report cases of influenza and vaccination status of each case. Both passively report outbreaks of illness, including influenza, to IDPH.