05035-012 Clear Lake Watershed Final Report

Clear Lake, Iowa's third largest natural lake, is located in Cerro Gordo County in north-central Iowa. The lake is a premier natural resource and popular recreational destination in north central Iowa, providing more than $40 million dollars annually to the local economy. Despite the lake's already strong recreational use, water quality concerns have not allowed the lake to reach its full recreational potential. Clear Lake is listed on Iowa's 2004 303(d) Impaired Waters List due to excessive levels of phosphorus, bacteria, and turbidity. Urban storm water runoff from the 8,600 acre watershed is a significant contributor to Clear Lake's impairment. There are over 68 storm water outlet points in the Clear Lake watershed that allow untreated urban runoff to empty directly into Clear Lake. Local governments have been very active in installing storm water Best Management Practices (BMPs) at as many of the outlets that current funding allows. To date, 11 of the 68 sites (16%) have been protected. These improvements have been very effective in reducing contaminants in the storm water runoff, but the remaining outlets still need protection. The first phase of this grant request is for an investigation of 10 storm water outlet sites to determine the most cost effective BMP for each site. The second phase of the grant request is to implement the BMPs deemed most cost effective at 5 of the 10 sites investigated. The grant request addresses one of the main priorities of the Iowa Watershed Improvement Grant: storm water runoff.

1214-008 Clear Lake Watershed Final Report

Clear Lake, Iowa's third largest natural lake, is a premier natural resource and popular recreational destination in north central Iowa. Despite the lake's already strong recreational use, water quality concerns have not allowed the lake to reach its full potential. Clear Lake is listed on Iowa's Draft 2010 303(d) Impaired Waters List for algae, bacteria, and turbidity. Many restoration practices have been implemented to treat the algae and turbidity impairment, but few practices have been installed to treat bacteria. Reducing beach bacteria levels is a priority of the lake restoration partners. Federal, State, and local partners have invested more than $20 million in lake and watershed restoration efforts to improve water clarity and quality. These partners have a strong desire to ensure high bacteria levels at public swim beaches do not undermine the other water quality improvements. Recent bacteria source tracking completed by the State Hygienic Laboratory indicates that Canada Geese are a major contributor of bacteria loading to the Clear Lake swim beaches. Other potential sources include unpermitted septic systems in the watershed. The grant request proposes to reduce bacteria levels at Clear Lake's three public swim beaches by utilizing beach cleaner machines to remove goose waste, installing goose deterrents at the swim beaches, and continuing a septic system update grant program. These practices began to be implemented in 2011 and recent bacteria samples in 2012 are showing they can be effective if the effort is continued.

Fish Habitat Indicators for the Assessment of Wadeable, Warmwater Streams

Physical habitat characteristics such as stream width, depth, instream cover, and substrate composition are important environmental factors that shape Iowa’s stream fish species assemblages. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) stream biological assessment program collects physical habitat data to help interpret fish assemblage sampling results in order to assess stream health condition and the attainment status of designated aquatic life uses. The quantitative habitat indicators and interpretative guidelines developed in this study are designed for specific applications within the stream bioassessment program. These tools might also be useful to natural resource managers for purposes such as stream habitat improvement prioritization, goal-setting, and performance assessment.

Report on a review of the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program and the Solid Waste Alternatives Program (SWAP) administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the period July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2015

Report on a review of the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program and the Solid Waste Alternatives Program (SWAP) administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the period July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2015

Iowa Department of Naturals Resource Performance Report, FY 2013-2014, January 2014

This report provides insight on accomplishments we have achieved in Fiscal Year 2015 as well as some challenges we face in the not so distant future. The DNR, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa State University,

Iowa Department of Naturals Resource Agency Performance Plan, FY2015, July 1, 2014

This report provides insight on accomplishments the department of Natural Resources have achieved in Fiscal Year 2015 as well as some challenges face in the not so distant future.

Combined Heat and Power Resource Guide, December 2015

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) refers to the onsite production of electricity and thermal energy from the same fuel source. Integrating power and thermal energy production is more efficient than separate generating systems and used in the right situation can yield several benefits.

Water resource availability : executive summary, 1978

The information presented in this summary document has been based on the comprehensive, "Task Force Report on Water Resource Availability", prepared by the Iowa Geological Survey and filed with the Iowa Natural Resources Council. The reader should refer to the task force document for more detailed information.