Sign of the Times, November 2013 - February 2014

Newsletter produced by Deaf Services Commission of Iowa

Sign of the Times, March-May 2014

Newsletter produced by Deaf Services Commission of Iowa

Sign of the Times, September-November 2014

Newsletter produced by Deaf Services Commission of Iowa

09002-001 Indian Springs Pond Watershed Final Report

Silver Creek is a warm water stream resource located in one of the most intensely cropped portions of Clayton County. The stream has been included on Iowa’s 303(d) list of impaired waters since 2002. Aquatic life, which should be present in Silver Creek, isn’t there. According to the Draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Silver Creek, the primary nonpoint pollution sources are soil erosion from agricultural land uses and direct deposition of ammonia by livestock with access to the stream. The Clayton Soil & Water Conservation District has begun efforts to remove Silver Creek from the impaired waters list. The District has promoted stream corridor and sinkhole protection, and the installation of buffer practices along Silver Creek and its tributaries. Conservation practices have been targeted to crop fields to reduce sediment delivery to the stream. A series of news articles, newsletters, and field days have been utilized to increase public understanding of water quality issues. Landowner interest has outweighed available cost share resources. Additional financial support will allow the project to build upon its early successes, to further address the identified impairments, and to respond to a long list of landowners that are interested in conservation work on their farms.

08024-14 Duck Creek Watershed Final Report

River Action is requesting funds for a project that offers design, technical and financial assistance to residential and commercial landowners and municipalities for the installation of buffers along Duck Creek and its tributaries. The buffers will improve water quality, reduce erosion on stream banks and provide habitat for wildlife. The projects will be planned and implemented through public meetings and educational workshops. This method of community involvement will increase awareness and education concerning the impairments in Duck Creek in Davenport and Bettendorf in Scott County, Iowa and promote personal responsibility and stewardship of watersheds.

08011-007 Ludlow Creek Final Report

Brief Project Summary (no greater than this space allows): This project is located in the Ludlow Creek Watershed, a 9,827 acre sub-watershed of the Yellow River. Ludlow Creek is extremely fragile and unique because it is a karst watershed, containing an estimated 1,188 sinkholes and depressions. Ludlow Creek may arguably contain more sinkholes per acre than any other watershed in Iowa. Water sampling data shows sediment delivery and E.coli as being water quality impairments in Ludlow Creek. The goals of this project are to 1) Reduce sediment delivery by 40%, 2) Reduce animal waste run-off which may include E.coli and nutrients by 40%, and 3) Reduce the water quality impact that sinkholes have on this watershed. The following Best Management Practices (BMPs) will be implemented to target Ludlow Creek's water quality impairments: no-till, terraces, grade stabilization structures, manure systems, strearnbank stabilization, pasture management, and both sinkhole and stream buffers. Our goal is to implement a combination of approximately 62 BMPs in the Ludlow Creek Watershed. These landowners will receive 75% cost-share for each one of these practices. If we receive funding from this grant, we will reach this 75% cost-share allocation by leveraging WHIP or EQIP funds when available, for most of these practices. This application has been reviewed and approved by the Allamakee County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners.

Sign of the Times, September-November 2013

Newsletter produced by Deaf Services Commission of Iowa

Sign of the Times, June-July 2013

Newsletter produced by Deaf Services Commission of Iowa

Sign of the Times, March-May 2013

Newsletter produced by Deaf Services Commission of Iowa

09005-002 Silver Creek Watershed Final Report

Silver Creek is a warm water stream resource located in one of the most intensely cropped portions of Clayton County. The stream has been included on Iowa’s 303(d) list of impaired waters since 2002. Aquatic life, which should be present in Silver Creek, isn’t there. According to the Draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Silver Creek, the primary nonpoint pollution sources are soil erosion from agricultural land uses and direct deposition of ammonia by livestock with access to the stream. The Clayton Soil & Water Conservation District has begun efforts to remove Silver Creek from the impaired waters list. The District has promoted stream corridor and sinkhole protection, and the installation of buffer practices along Silver Creek and its tributaries. Conservation practices have been targeted to crop fields to reduce sediment delivery to the stream. A series of news articles, newsletters, and field days have been utilized to increase public understanding of water quality issues. Landowner interest has outweighed available cost share resources. Additional financial support will allow the project to build upon its early successes, to further address the identified impairments, and to respond to a long list of landowners that are interested in conservation work on their farms.

09012-009 Little River Lake Watershed Final Report

Little River Lake watershed is a 13,305 acre subwatershed of Little River. The 788 acre lake was listed as a 303d impaired water body in 2008 due to elevated turbidity and algae levels. The Decatur SWCD has prioritized water quality protection efforts within the Little River Lake watershed because 1) portions of this watershed has been identified as the primary contributor of sediment and nutrients to Little River Lake, which provides an essential source of drinking water for Decatur County and the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association; 2) the watershed provides exemplary education and project interpretation opportunities due to its proximity to Little River Lake Recreation Area, and 3) by using targeted and proven soil conservation practices to address water quality deficiencies the probability of successfully attenuating soil erosion and ameliorating water quality impairments is enhanced. The specific goals of this proposal are to: 1. reduce annual sediment, and phosphorous delivery to the lake by 11,280 tons and 14,664 lbs., respectively, via applications of conservation practices on targeted agricultural land; 2. delist the lake as an EPA 303d impaired water body via water quality enhancement; 3. obtain a “Full Support” status for the lake’s aquatic life and recreational use; 4. reduce potable water treatment costs (minimum 50% cost reduction) associated with high suspended solid levels; and 5. restore a viable sport-fish population, thereby bolstering tourism and the economy. To achieve timely project implementation the Decatur SWCD has cooperated with the IDNR Watershed Improvement Section, Fisheries Bureau, and IDALS-DSC to assess extant water quality and watershed conditions, coalesced a diverse team of committed partners and secured matching funding from multiple sources.

07017-006 Little Clear Lake Watershed Final Report

Little Clear Lake is a 162 acre natural lake located in the western part of Pocahontas County. The lake has a 375 acre watershed that is gently rolling with nearly 84% of the watershed in row crop production. The lake is listed on the Iowa DNR’s impaired waters list due to nutrients, siltation and exotic species (purple loosestrife). These impairments have been verified with in-lake monitoring and landowner conversations as well as watershed modeling. The watershed models estimates that the average sheet and rill erosion is 1.74 tons/acre/year and sediment delivery is .12 tons/acre/year with a total of 44 tons/year being delivered to Little Clear Lake. The goal of the Little Clear Lake Watershed Protection Plan is to (1) reduce sediment delivery to Little Clear Lake by 60%, or 26.5 tons annually, by installing best management practices within the watershed. Doing this will control nearly 100% of the of the lake’s drainage area; and (2) initiate an information and education campaign for residents within the Little Clear Lake watershed which will ultimately prepare the residents and landowners for future project implementation. In an effort to control sediment and nutrient loading the Little Clear Lake Watershed Protection Plan has included 3 sediment catch basin sites and 5 grade stabilization structures, which function to stabilize concentrated flow areas.

07020-007 Hurley Creek Watershed/McKinley Lake Final Report

The Hurley Creek Watershed is a micro-watershed of approximately 2,211 acres (3.5 square miles), which drains into the Platte River southwest of Creston. The watershed is 64% urban and 36% rural. The urban area includes the bulk of the town of Creston (population 7,597) and the rural area is just north of Creston, which includes the origin of Hurley Creek. Hurley Creek Watershed was examined for improvements following a citizens group in 2004 determined a need and desire to make McKinley Lake, a 65-acre city-owned lake, a quality fishery and viable swimming lake, as it once was. As part of a major park improvement project over ten-plus years, the watershed improvement project is undertaken to reduce pollution entering the lake. In 2006, IOWATER volunteers, under guidance of the town’s consultants, sampled the stream in 8 locations throughout the year, a total of 92 samples. The samples, along with visual inspections of the creek, found three major impairments: 1) high E. Coli levels, 2) severe erosion, and 3) storm water management. Using the Watershed Project Planning Protocol, the consultant and a volunteer committee of interested citizens determined that five physical and three administrative actions should be undertaken. The request will help: identify sources of E. Coli and reduce its delivery into the watershed, control animal access, manage storm water, implement stream-bank stabilization, educate the public, and develop miscellaneous small projects on specific properties.

1118-007 Lake Hendricks Watershed Final Report

Lake Hendricks is a 54 acre man-made lake that is encompassed by a 1,209 acre watershed. Lake Hendricks is currently on the 303(d) Impaired Waters List for algae and pH impairments due to an abundance of algae growth caused by nutrients being delivered to the lake via 11 separate tile lines draining adjoining cropland areas. In 2009, a Watershed Management Plan was developed in partnership with IDALS and the IDNR 319 programs and $256,500 was awarded to address the nutrient and sediment loading of the lake. Over the past three years a total of $251,000 were spent to implement one grade stabilization structure, two sediment basins, two bioreactors, 700 feet of streambank stabilization, 30.7 acres oftimber stand improvement, and 39.4 acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). A proposed wetland structure and three sediment basins are scheduled to be constructed in the fall of 2011. Current water monitoring data is showing an average of 54% Nitrate (N) loading reductions as a result of the installed BMPs. The District feels further reductions are possible by addressing nutrient management issues in the cropland areas, stabilizing additional streambanks, and improving the surrounding woodland areas. The goal is to reduce N loading by an additional 20% and sediment loading by 50 tlac/yr. The resulting collaborative effort may lead to the future de-listing of Lake Hendricks from the 303(d) Impaired Waters List.

05037-014 Elk River Watershed Final Report

The Watershed Improvement Review Board (WIRB) Grant will be used to enhance an on-going water quality project in Elk River Watershed. A targeted, locally controlled project has been active in the watershed since 2001. Current funding is being received primarily from the EPA-319 program, administrated by IDNR and the Watershed Protection Fund (WSPF) administrated by IDALS-DSC. Substantial funding is also obtained from the yearly county allocation of the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) administrated by the USDA-NRCS. The overall objective of the Elk River Water Quality Project is to improve and restore the water quality in this water body by keying in on the potential sources of the identified impairments, and forging a working partnership between the local residents and the conservation agencies and organizations involved in the project. The major potential sources of the known surface water quality problems were identified during the assessment process and pointed to feedlot runoff and sediment delivery from within priority sub-watersheds. WIRB Funds will be used to cost share the application of Best Management Practices, thus reducing the projects dependency on federal funds. Funds will also be used to overcome a project’s limiting factor associated with insufficient technical assistance.