IDNR Working for Clean Water Publication Copyrighted
April 3, 2017
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 4.
ITEM TITLE: IDNR Working for Clean Water Publication
SUMMARY: City Manager transmitting the Working for Clean Water
publication from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
(I DNR) in which Catfish Creek is featured as a 2016
watershed success.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
I DNR Publication Supporting Documentation
I A VIP " r
gap
em
CLi WATER
WORKING FOR
CLEANWATER
2016 IOWA
From the director 3
D�1►11R
We all live in a watershed 5
COVE
Clear Lake
by Ben Curtis Northeast Iowa goes wild for trout 7
ARTICLES Family grows conservation ethic 9
Jessie Brown
PHOTOS Lasting effects in Decatur County 11
Ben Curtis
Brian Button River at the heart of Charles City 13
Clay Smith
Community rallies behind Catfish Creek 15
12 Mile Lake reclaims its reputation 17
www.iowadnr.gov
www.facebook.com/iowadnr
www.twitter.com/iowadnr Clinton goes green for stormwater 19
www.instagram.com/iowadnr
www.pinterest.com/iowadnr
www.youtube.com/iowadnr Creating connections with creeks 21
Take the next step 23
FROM O .
whenwemokrooursrme'slak_ fi enandsn mts and the lane mar 3
ound,them,ourwarr =-we knowrhatimvrousigmenru notan
weinighrsucosi Burweatso know that its sura one-hit wonder elmer..
This Is our tenth edition of this annual watyi Improvemen[wcces story
compilation.To mark the event we're looking back at some of the greatest hits'
webefeatured In those 10 booklcs (aswell as some new chocks)-watching how
these local, community-ri efforts have Improvedwater quality and Impacted
the quality of Iifvfor Iowans over tae last decade.
We look at Charles City,whueaftu terrible flooding, the city embraced the
vutontwith a newwhltewater park and wenttowork In neighborhoods to
Improvestormwater pactces.Thue'sTweNe Mile Lakenear Craston,where
things had detcriorated to the pointwhere the city switched toanolhu drinking
water source Today, the once ubiquitous fishing tournamentr have realrued and
Creston onceagain pullswatu from the lawfor Its drinking water tvatmcm
plant
And ofcourse taueare northeast Iowa's Iconic troutstreamy whuewatu quality
has Improved to allowfor natural trout reproduction In 45 streams-thatsup
from 32 streams In 2007 andjust six In 1980 And that's good newsfor tourism In
thchsecommunites, too.
The work done by countess citizens, organizations and agendas In all of these
stories is holding up-and that's because these Iowans are In Itfor dry long haul.
They recognize that Improving watu quality is alongtum effort a lifelong
commitmcnt Just as you have to maintain a homy or car for it to retain itsvalue
watyi effortis thysame-continual Improvementis crucial to holding on
to whatwe4e alreadyachleved and aswekeep moving forward.
So aswe lookforward to the next l 0years, l know that Iowans will continue to
embrace their local watersand work to Improvelhy lands that surround them.
Weall Ivy In awatershvi and I know too that Iowans answcr the all whenwork
aids to be done.
—DNRDIrecrorauc Gipp
* r
Nor"-
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7 I ,a,..
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vt ;�i✓ «, �, a'I' 1 ' ti
WE ALL LIVE IN A WATERSHED
PARTNER GROUP Madlimsemar uwrersheaBan rmoflanutharemuu roar slow and fiber runoff or even prevent it mere are mare-waysm s
INITIAW lade or stream. whatieCoca tlutland—whether!&a n it and slowandfilterthe runoff entering our lakes
JxrN,(orm,bushe..orhmrory—aH b[he heal[hofour and streamsrso
�dura oe�nmentor
tural Fetou�(omB) lalresshmmsaM rtvers. urban residents can aingardens nanelandsapingand
Duma fferertment of It Impacts our drinking water recreation economic deoel opmen( in oretotreatthe ai n and snow that falls on their yards.Cities and
Agrimlture and Tent in
businesses can make changes to how they handle wastewater and
xewamrnro uoAts) em andwndufe, and our guaury of ufe. aanwater starts us. normwater.
cc un Giueredo When water runs off the land,i[an arty pollutants with it Rainhll While what dolndividuallymekes a difference coming
Board lC®1 an send loads of exposed soil and nutrients from fields and bare together as a corn Truly an make alarge Impact In l owa water
ground Into our waterways.motor on and other waste can wash rt ant on a sou d foundation of traditional
mdondavatar quality aemen
GnrervadonoimialSNm1 off driveways andlawns Formsewers, If
dump conservation and broug03
hdresbasedogh and comm unity
dire¢Iyvtthe lake
waywe mamgethe land to keep
lfwe don Rmake research andbroughttolifethroughstrong partherships.
Watershed NaoageA) dtherintothewaywemy belonhe land toond upisoil,nuhientiand
AhandrylWNW other ma[erialswhue[heybelong,[hey9l end up In ourwatet With reneNedBetter water
as roftentrrscomes many benefitsfor quality
our
ery
VS Fstiand SYS)iR WMce We want to keep hIowato topsoil the not stbeause communities residents Kids haoffeeanerwaterto translates somand guaury
WSFWS of pournc because of
lu Driof nkiPgwaier treatment
c sts can go down and the
impactlay a.
US fferemrent of andaquatcheExies but[bent cloPoowiHmpactikingit Drinking may water H costsangodwmand thelmpa¢of
andaquaticligh Excesssedimentto see It can
smother
rmaking i[ flooding el crease Hunters up otiaimprovedwotownto tar[.
Agrimlture WSffAI musselHabit Nutrients
fifi[o Attach to h ansmothufishe d gmay
g g ggs an Economlcdrvelopmen[picks up as tourists come to town[o
USDA Farm DAMcesggenry mussel Through iunoff crnatteinageTom anyrcometsi imrestigatethelmprovedfifiingonto put Inthe kayak
.
(USDA waters through runoffor[iledainage.Too many nutriertan
USDA Natural Remurces ourwater lead[o algal blooms,which can affect oxygen eoelsfor Futureeffor[stoprotectourlakes, riders and streamswill grow
square life aynnno,a y gar strategic GnrervadonkMce upon innovative B taking state h—
(USDA-NR61 Idertiflyingwatenbodi as m of in ofhelp and developing and
However,we have many ways toaddressthese problems on Implemerrting warananedmanagemerrtplanstosolveproblems
—
VSEmimnmentu rural and urban lands Farmers and ruallandw✓nersandrange lowansancortinue[o makes difference In their water quality
PmteaionAgen,y B how they manage cropland.Iroestockfaduti es and other lands to
Iowa State Fiordland Fund
uvea SRF)
Renounce Enle ncement and
Pmteaion DEAD)
watershed Improvement
Renar Board IWIRBI z ea
Cmueretion Fiserv,
Program ICRP)
low, Suite ORrrersiry(ISll)
* narntan mon -
Rl Con, a�R onand
Developmentoa
. r
y
1:
Improvements in lowa's trout streams and watersheds help make events like Casting for Recovery,a weekend of trout angling for breast cancer survivors,possible.
NORTHEAST IOWA GOES WILD FOR TROUT
NOA�EA Thingsareg&tlngeven wlldeiln northeuHouw. eeky and iPsgotten better each trip wire more fish in me holds. 7
Thewater flows seem just right for drilling flies. l fished yesterday
Watershed projects on northeast Issued famed trout streams over where the recent stream workwa5 done Afferthe flood,the
thelafftwo decades Navel mprssedwater qualiry,and In turn, ur holes are getting to be very nice and deep and holding
wildtrout populations fishing and tourism. By changing Ne way fish in numbers l haven2 seen before Its realy developing niceywater comes into trout streams,watermed projects have kept merevicesssediment, nutrients and bacteria out ofthewateruaing invested anglers like Ilia bodeswell for Iowa businesses,
PROAlong wiminstream work by DNRfisherasstaff to improvetrout too.Trout anglers come ro Iowa streams for stwo-daytriq if not
habitzttroutare thriving again.Take Coldwater Creek—in1999, week and bring famly and friends,according to local business
mere were zero brown trout per mile. By 2002,merewere 96/ owners They and money In local sports stores, hotels,
WIRE brown trout per mile and In 2011,that number rose to 2,128 per gas stations, restaurants and shops.
PALS mile. For Il northeast Iowa businesses,most-ifnotall-of
y sin
USDA MISS In I 98Qwithout
onysv4reamsln Iowarewto 3inedatrout population recent business ourveut
yn trout ata from According to the most
WmISNms withoutstocking
naturaly 2007,45Iwem[ ams,thaks and rodagtrout made cent
eRtroutangle,surveirsts from fisheries
anglers
wmlc®, reproduce With
waterfront
assn spawn msthanksro improvements on madertrip mated seeesuoodl o Iowa nousportaionan about
Anglers with deanerwxer,noutanspawn naturally and betterteed on $ae per trip—thaemdudesrood lodging transportation and
aquatic insects, mgrea[erfish divernry Fraud boon equipment- anglers more 519.8 million annually on
Phase hnawmers for anglers and local communities Anglers have noticed,for sure trout fishi ng in Iowa.With anomer survey currency underway,
Ra�Fese Fly Fishing Trout stamp sales for both reg dents and non residents hit an all num bars are expected ro rise.
Aso vaoon Him e in an In 2015,at 959 R licenses sold.
LLS EPA Skwon 3l The continual Increase In anglersvisiti ng Iowa trout streams
com whom avariety of factors,says DN R fisheries supervisor
Mike Steuck There a the Ito proved coldwater habitat for trout
through watershed and land use Improvement projects as well
as the habitat Ito proven ants we made In the stream:he says
"Weve Improved our stocking efforts with more wild-strain
brown trout collected from naturally reproducing populations of
owatrouUoo.
That includes the col dwater portion ofthe Upper Maquoketa
River where the DNR recently completed in stream habitat work,
and where there a a water quality and angler easement Itaalso a
favorite spot of Cedar Fall a trout angler Pete Lilja.
From an angler a perryectroe misIaa huge Improvement¢Y
aura terrific stretch of river and adding these feameswiu only
make it better Liljasays."Over the last few weeks I ve been there growntrout ore o native species to lorry.
IF
IF
TA,
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09*,I Mir ' i7ter
441 N
N 4K F,
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116
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The Kerns family'streefin"near Edyewood.Photos courtesy oflim and kdyKerm
FAMILY ' • WS CONSERVATIO
EDGEWOOD Jim Frndlady Kers'liveliefin comeriscritionand through their service on mal,regional and statewide boards 9
education is as reedy roofed as the[rees that protect and committees,says Iowa state forester Faui Tauke."land
� 1 the books along Meir Volga River property. stewardship and service is noryust something thattheydo— itis
something they purposefully weave Into the very fabric of their
The couple hasfarmed their cropland,pasture and ember near family and their lives Other conservation professionals agree
Edgewood since 1986,growing their family and serving their Over the years,the Kernses have adopted many diversified
com unity along to way For alm of 20 years,their land has and conservation [ Jeff re
PROJECT PAR'IN m sol pracices'says regional
Kerns Famil served as a living classroom for Reewoo6Col esburg students basin coordinator for l LOTS Many Ove even to the
y another own six children. ywed �heybo
eaPwwwncwle,bwr agency stanassistin�mem. Undaunted meymokmehme to
In second grade grove each Kerns child named their own investigate and applied what they learned:'
e class
and had theretrota grove
eoepl mem plant aetripmtrees. Even projects has beenleo-ee ashoreplantings
nd ore of a bonding when mered nota grwetoookfor forward
field nipmo achyead opportunity
p projects has beenless
nve more and neeofabondmq
graders (andgraders Meir parenthowtoi) Iookbrwant and care rs fortrechyear, weneoutitgrvenanlme4meed to have fun:Jsiystthat aysJiwhen
filmgraderslearn howmiarterlloplenUroare fortress out thereworking,in
Hi an quarterlongental science 9.we needtohave Pon,Jodysays.Jim
g takday on ing gandInho addsWeacountme4mwhatwe oinvesits m all I ur and, ipron,
course rasa rveryprovemntsin lnteosetwo deader, ranandm manage
to account were able roa sa ingelrm inveprwe
students have atcheedimprovem anti inwater
rive yon me and managetdewoodlends
througand asa longterm lm Yet th [
property and haveg neintoeniironmeand lsciencecire. 5ome matanprwide beena harvest with our students Incaemnronmentzlsdenasheers Following tinildreimewh them,and always
have iun on
ad thous
Meir experience. childregteadh them,and aM2yshaoe Pon on the land mge[herf
Conservation is at the heart of the family and farm,with land
In the Conservation Reserve Program and the Conservation
Security Program.The river property is in CRI prairie pasture
and managed timber Ultimatel we ve kept conservation
priority because weve always been in undful of the fact that
nser abona l mportant—pen od—when you have six kids that
are the future: says Jody Tree plantings are added often mere
re habitat pro bas,and three acresmey're restoring to savanna.
We ve enjoyed doing ufile more experi menti ng with the
type of tree plantings were doing In terms of species and like to
challenge ourselves,Jim says We ve also done some pollinator
plant has and enjoyedthe new l earning opportunities that cam
with that a terms of having the opportunity to teach our kids
and the students the in portance of the pollinators"
However,the Kerns in pact expands far past thei r land Their
onservabon ethic goes beyond their property boundaries
"W 4IW` ✓
4
46
AIL
\
percep �
s
LASTING ` COUNTY
DECATUR COUNTY Imptovingwateiquallry As no[an osRarightsucvss of The water quality has held up verywe)I,says Richard Eike
aqulck(u.It all time, but it also I Ausmined director otthe Decatur County Conservation Board,of Slip Bluff.
f . ver be long haul—which two southern Iowa lal25 "There are aquatic plants growing along some of the shoreline
haveshown over Melast deaCe. and you can havell e 8had e, mfeemown. oFishing has increased
the
little and d brve had an increase mpeople paddling[be lake In
canoeandyo ca kayaks."
In the early 2000s, efforts beganto improve the lakes In Nine
Eagles Slate Park and Slip Bluff(County) Park In Decatur County Additional workto maintain woodlands,reduce l rrvasrve species
.0A
RO EC Both lakeswere strugglingwim excessive sediment clouding the and encourage native plant growth has also helped control
water,and both lakes had the unique opporturnrythatmost of runoff by filtering runoff and absorbing it before it an reachthe
Iowa the lakes watershed lleswiNin park boundaries. lake Eike added.
0oti,C® At Nine Eagl as,the DNR constructed new sedi mentretenfi on Bud Taylor,park manager at Nine Eagles,echoes Eike noting
PALS basins tocatch and filter gestic ent before It could reach the lake, that park use has Increased since the Improvements especially
and work on tail a and In forested areas aimed to reduce erosion .Mthswimmers"Heavy rains would muddy up thewaterwi[b
(THANKS Inthefirstplace Slip Bluff's effortsfocssed on cutting bad silt and twould take weeks to dear up,said Taylor In 2005,after
LLS EPRkaion 3l wooded areas of the park and along the shoreline, the projects completion. Now,beadds,l getalotofcomments
sing basins and strudurestotap sediment and riprap to bold about bow dearthewater is—you an seethe bottom of lake In
the shoreline In placesome places/
The efforts reduced sediment delivery to Nine Eagles Lake by 85
percent which improved water clarity to where you could gee
almost Abash down In the water.At Slip Bluff,sediment delivery
was knocked dam by 64 percent and resulted Ina 50 percent
improvement in water clarity Theywere lowa'sfirrttwo DNR
watershed Improvement efforts recognized nationwide byEPA as
success stories.
The most recent water dariry reading done atNine Eagles by DNR
Ei sheii as staff was 951 nches—meaning you coul d gee al most 8
feet down In the water.Add In aquatic plants and work to bolster
bwegi11 and crappie populati ons and Nine Eagles iaa great place
toreel inafish
.
"Nine Eaglashas a high abundance of aquatic vegetation,which
helps i uprose water quautyand provides tish habitat, says
Andy lansen,DNR fisheries or of osis( noting good fi shing for
laigem outb bass and redear sunfish at Nine Eagles,and good
crappieand largemouth bass fishing at Sllp Bluff.
: .
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• • AT THE HEART OF
CHARLES CITY Aker Cedar River floodwaters hit hard In 2008 and paoersfollowing the 2008 floods.Along with vegetated 13
46 2014 w 6 bmretenflon strips rainfall now soaksmrougb into the ground,
suspensio wndrefi away theiconiccentury n street basement The d Cants
uspemsion bridgeln 2001 you ouldn[expel Chanes easing gs g yreacht p
e river
CI to embraw[herim
slow runoff canand alter pollutants beforethey
in one
day ad
City me system an haeme up mast 50y rain m one daya[ one
ff
ht ¢ Theshouldl th
e
d Ily65to1
harass, [ d iv Cd d [ t d works e hingth f N eighb h dby 65e n
[ protect [TF t downtown Fi[ [ park p M and phosphorus f 30[ 65pe [ There' been
began 2006 dquickly g In[ full bl hon[ no re
IFiercest P People like N e[ of design and
PROJEC redevelopment and has b p d m x q Iry pp ofstreets: Eb says.D adds, t Mer,
Iome povemants."The Ced has always beenunitingfeature those arethe first streets[ [ I[ III usts k N [ ay
says Mayor Jim Erb."This tends to fit in Heat history and provide
Ory ofOratlu Ory foundation for everything to economic development,recreation, Otod
her cities to tour the work She dry,building off its
U Ce do rWmersheL conservation d environmental benefits/ as
working [h privated p f permeable severe
Na 'tontAuthor F gdevelopments dp t withg p d
With [ dl Idonations, Ch Cryh d pad d north f[ [ [ promises like
waFmnoinc Colorado fi [ design theh[ at PI
W Ioave
pirensAirttiort together t t I l d park [ j d [h boa[ less crops,b -till d /Hopefully F
an
amph[hea[er,r, eplayarea andrt mwater fountain. watercoming t ch City, aysD 'P d[ [
rain
wa WWrtmenso! launch nitrates and om
keep[hemwherethey dothe mortgood: adds Fb.
to kumlAffairs Ensuring the safety ofcourse users meantremomngthe low
-
as
h d beauty 'd despite anal t However, Th city p t p [ theUpperCedar Watershed
Are Rewrong Fund that Ilowed fi hb k upstreamdcreatedhabitat Nfails Management Auth ry k [ p d[ for
FI Gun you g theBiannual bridge and you II somebody othercommunities along Cedar 'TF y' y d
out the' y n D ,CryAd st [
Communityfvundaf [hwhatin
in
h pp upstream and the [h [they h
Iowa SRF m park, M1 h z6 fl d d11 f t
downstream says the Upper cd Frr,SF Lundy"The
ry has been a key player in the Upper Cedar WMA and Has taken
officially opened in summer 2011,clang residents riverside, the leadwith Floyd County as an Integral part oftheWMA
Chwe,Cry and l ming layakers from l owa,Nebraska,Minnesota,Wisconsin,
, id 8nd businesses and even the coasts."I was in pressed with the com muniry
ml ng out to watch the boaters and use the river. l raw kids out
fishing older folks out for astroll. Everyone was extremely nice
andwelcoming: said Omaha paddler Marijo Bosi ljevacln 2011.'1[
was clear from the start that the Imestinent In the river created
beautiful and usable space for the com m unityC
Torrential rains In September 2016 putthe town's hard work
tothe test,when 6lnches of rainfall In one night alone Its
held rowel and performing as designed says Diers.The work
extends beyond the park-15 blocks of a historic neighborhood
just upstream,where homes and Infrastructure date back 100
plus years were reckoned with cobblestone esque permeable pemmpk FarershlpsvkopoMfilwrsorcRfimuoAOMsrow
:. �r h� ` „ pip'� S �'r ¢ °`moi>��d$- ',ekrx' *�.� th3t�'T`�
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a IV , A
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Catfish Creek Photo by Dean Mattoon.
COMMUNITY RALLIES BEHIND CATFISH CREEK
DUBUQUECOUNW The urban de✓elopmen[5uvouMing Upper Maki And a deadedworth of work already pays dividends When 15
6cekhad baker lb roll. the project bawl portion ofine aeekthatsupportinout
— known locally as Swiss Valley—was ranked 2141n angler use
Newly paved sidewalks and streets provided an easy route for among trout surveys In the 2011 survey,irose all the way tothe
sediment and pollution to run off Into the coldwater stream. fourthspot Water quality isan essential habitat component for all
Excess runoff sped up erosion in the stream and ailed water fianand trout are particularly sensitive to thermal stress,o-cessrve
tem perature,threatening naturally reproduci ng trout and other sedimet,and pollutants, says DNR fisheni as biologist Dan Kirby
square life.In20W,watershed protect coordinator Eric Sdrmedrel Trou[eggsand larvaare even moresen9[rve to water quality than
PROJECTPARrINERS brought mgethea diverse crowd of local partners up dreams,
adult trout so successful trout reproduction especially depends
watershed council, monitor water Now,almost
up strain;install good ft II "Swiss Valle considerable
ap.orouhunue began
anatmn aartiasanemea. rojectas nadeadelata fngng ona� rarear Valley
bounty was water quality
project has snowballed irtoa withafishing a¢rviryonshstocing—a year round I belie ndxpeiodstionof associated
Dubuque County countywidewatr quality effort withaed water quality,
4odting—meAstheS issrefie¢i woof
mpnwedwascaked,werneedtoby says 'Psthe Swiss lley water uahedy
Dubuque Soil awarer isby no eanspeeea,we need to amernbethxwxe quality
Gnservaoon Gisvia Awershed authorityboard
Plan
ln2011,0acre anategm requires mntinuousworkb dinandliin the
Wat12,sp Management Plan Pon the96,000eaand co menial waterco by involved gm
Dubuque County in 2012,spanning urban, agricultural,industrial and commercial watershed
Consererion Board areas.Since the beginning of the project Dubuqued college Movi ng forward,the watershed effort will continue its work to
unity has helped m orntorwater quality There was a lo[
parades Waters comm area to put practices on the ground and to educate residents about the
TruagenentHuttiO ofmomen ps kept
mthewing: ays Scheninue echiatonowtheuginal jeq and t convener ft and Improvementbooks
pannenatirfor the Dubuque Cour SWCD nowthewban importance waeate Reran
Vnrrersityol0ubunue coordinatorfor4 million sponsored
SWCC Inaddition
throe theory Cenat ter educate visitors
Sate onthe ion Area and Swiss alllow Nature
of Dubuque Fad ang Fun whiconsoced suggested go toward
dentreduatviferen ontheisdvance rban annuallowimpa¢
lour, DUBe State Revolving wndwFimmedrysuggenedgorowmd deoelopmert conferenahelpsadoanaurban normwatr efforts
IMLS tFewatershed effort
anprojecterweawe heupper
calsthat recognized Catfish
ed
Creek)importance
pilot urban had echel sthaneaddsted
USDA NRCS theDu uquewnaoe these thpatIowa Sdrmiesto rrys.pass an addrttva[
Dubuquewasone
ancthefinn Iowacouon a ompreh nsiveplon and
lour, SRFrtonmwatn onwanceandi['sworkng ora comprehensive plan
W IRB HvatfomsesonwatnsFeds.
w, Emnom, Citizens had their say as well Overthe course of aboutayar,
MZlopirentAirttionry Sdrmedrel walked aeekbankswith landowners and Feld public
Agrimlmal anda Pwmmslogather lnpuomlo[Fewatlshedmanagement
swasplan.
Hasin
hndwmers saysNg ,the management
Inthat
isbeigputinto amosToot he
says.Now,themanag n,permeable
Is being putmloa¢mn,with
LLS EPRkaion319 streamban, and oahogpeemation paoercbi galls,soil quality
costsh iogand other conservation authority going into place an
cost shared throughthewxeshed authority board
3`
Water9aality atT Ive Mile Lake near Creston M1m improve6(Wlouvm9 o watershedeHm((M1ere
to • t
CRESTON This As one lals Mans hit ib snlCl fall to understand thatthey use areas like Twelve Mile Lake with 17
cleanwater healthy vegetation: says Chad Faup,DNR wildlife
Not to sayfbingswerent rough for awhile.During its peak In the management biologirtaffbe Grand River WJdliR Unit which
late 1990s,Twelve Mile Creek Lake,near Creston held nearly 30 includesTwelve Mile."IowansarewiNout a doubt ookng of
fishing tournaments yearly By 3009,that number dropped to a waterquali[y and understand the benefits that go with it They
mere two. Common carp wreaked Faros,stirring up sediment can see ¢with their own eyes and if It doesnt look healthy,then
and turning Twelve Miles formerly dear water Into a murky theywill avoid it A[Twelve Mile taketheyapparently like what
brown. Fewer people came to the lake Drinking water dawn theysee"
from the lake required more chemicals for treatment
PROJECT PAR'IN Fare of twelve miles continued success comesfrom
habitat
an ongoing
oDA ONS Thgotto[h akebewhereCrestons expeddawingeat It from both
commitment anTheDNRaddedmorefilconsebiabon 2015, and
USDA MISS Tbreesthelkehad a because less expensive to Goldsmith,who both NR6ando keep sededaddini the conservationpraNcesln
000ioinated hada problem,assDiistrict onsery itowho thewa[ershed[o keep sediment in check
ALSMISS coordinated watershed U neonountysas District Conservationist for
ALS USDA USDANR61n Union County WI RBproflan upstream and
the Creston City Water Works nobuy
on
Union CCB 98 e,acres
whof land upstream and to install s sediment detention
Wor deepening
morethe lake beganmfeet ofpartiallyshoreline
drtorouning the
ly30 dike,which
the
eUas uon Soil amountof
Conservation
Wl RBalso
Vniofc,'t andachesdeep Rocks rethan1000Relmosteekne[around the workedwiththbilizWnstrucd Water Co nservwtionndsitto
dii
arya o inchesdeep ap) placed almort entirely around the install gradesAbiliza[ionrtruaures,,terOent
aces,v✓xerandsedimke
L, dw perimeter of lake stabilized the shoreline.Terraces,buffers control basins and grass waterways In thew atershed,whidhhive
and structures placed In the watershed years before would help reduced sediment the lake by morethan2A00tons.
protect the restoration work.The DNR removed common carp _
and then restocked fish _...- a _.>. .., ._
The lake bounced back sustaining its in proven arts over the
last decade Fishing tournaments returned quickly and are bad
to about 30 a year Flue last water clarity reading showed you
could see down i n the water s feet Creston uses Twelve MSeasa
drind ng water source again,In addition to Three Mil e.
'
Flue lake has developed Into a great fishery e Use renovation' _
says Andy Jansen DN R fisheries biologi$ noting sampling _
at Twelve Mile has found bluegills larger than 101 nches and
craps as exceeding 12 inches, plus 19-to 18i net wall eyes and
12inchperch.
Wildlife has taken notice too.'With good water quality corn as
good vegetation.With bad water quanryyou get novegetati on.
All one has to do is pay attenti on to waterfowl In the spring and rwdvePrix Lk,MS Lemmev wes,s,,whii tic,cgvm.
41,
h y
WWIF, r ^" , '
INT
wojorcbonges to the Ointonstreets cape beautified the area and now b9p absorb runoff and ionprove water qualify Courtesy oIon Cron
CLINTON • • ' STORMWATER
CLINTON Move over,gray.Clinton is going green. standard storm sewer installation—gray infrastructure.The 19
money made available by SRF allowed a cleaner and greener
The City of(linhon,located along the Mississippi River,has been project to be constructedP
working over the past decades to separate their combined
sewer system,where both the treated wastewater from the Residents took n ofim an d learned about water goal iry along
rani vary sewer and the untreated stormwater run off combine. the way.°The publ is real ly enj oys the attractiveness of the
Separating the two A 11 also redu m the amount of untreated permeable pavers,and i t is always interestin g tothem tohear
water discharging directly tothe river Clinton uses the Clean the stormwater quality aspects of the projects says Craft°Green
PROJECT PARTNERS Water State Revolving Fund(CWSRF)to finance the project, infrastructure instead of grey is so much more satisfying to
and an additional award helped them talie stormwater efforts a the public While it may cost a small percentage more,the
IowaDNR notch higher environmental and aestheticvalue of the project is something
Cry of Clinton that cannot be measured
Iowa SRC Withthe help efa CWSRF Water Resource Restoration
Sponsored Project,Clinton has used agreen stormwater In addition,the Iowa League of Cities named Clinton an All-Star
infrastructure approach headdress urban stormwater quality Community,and Craft received the2016 Iowa Shormwater Award
and quantity associated with combined sewer overflows says fortheproject.Vith Clinton being situated on the banks of the
Para Cale-Finnegan,Iowa SRF coordinatorwith the DNR. Mississippi,we realize its importanmasa natural resource which
is vital to our community.We want to do our part to reduce the
Instead of using traditional°gray°infrastructure,which has nutrient pollution from our drainagewayss Craft says.They're not
a lower initial cost,the cry chose to use greenerpractims in doneyet,either Another sewer separation projecta blocknorth
makingstreetscape improvements too historic district,With of this projectwill incudeabouh2 acres of permeable pavers.
the goal of waking up more rain and snowmelt into the ground
rather than having it run off into the storm sewers,the dry
installed permeable pavers in parking Lays and alley ways—a
big improvementfor residents over the rough gravel alleys.
A Silva Cell system for tree planters provided not only beautified
sidewalks with permeable brick pavers,but the+foot chamber
below filled with topsoil and sand allows tree roots to stretch
out and water to soak in,not run off.A bimetenti on cell with
native prairie plantings adds color and drinks up runoff.A city
park lawn had a soil quality restoration to loosen up the soil and
allow it to take on more rainwater.The practi ms also filter out
pollutants and avoid overloading the separated sewer system.
Having the funds available from the SRF sponsored project
allowed the project to go green,says Jason Craft,Clinton Gry
Engineer°This allowed us to focus on proactive stormwater —
managementandtreatmentandfiltration,rather than just workers install a➢ermeable paver ry3em in Cin con.
O .7
Lux lee
Creek
i
tills
Motovists taken ofofwhichsream they're cross ing(6ml¢ (o 6ighwuysigru,intsuSngOrs one on Lux Creek Photo courtesy ofMic691eT mer.
CREATING CONNECTIONS
ATAMWIDEThou andsofmorocAsbdri e v riouw wateru s, big "Wewarted,naturally enough,people Fo know thesignieance 21
a opleail,ea singthe[ st ..Issu jovdvei, mos[ oftheirwatersheds,and their streams.The signs give uralareas
REopleareoossingMesestreamsunawareofwhaCs anameathamridgewimmiporantto es arural people and hwheydevng
area erso ifichon urn abortt th to rural shed: says Fewtheyn It
alsoelop personal conarnabogi thenory ofdad,scan ashapeThe Iowa Department of Natural Resources,In partnership with thee`ndinrt helped tulain whic Fidforms ere so batrenttheIowaDe tment ofTrans tabon,has been taco easirndnothof Caerptamwouth and wstwhere thediffeglaRpar pox p designs ea4and north of Carton[Ean south andwegwFere[Fegladers
PROcreekthe pastfourybrldgesalongsAFeand federal stoppedFigFwaysover thepaatrouryars" Thanksto his efforts, and the work of many partner groups,83
Wealllrvelnawa[ersFed,bid many l peope are which stream crossings lnAudubon,Guthrie Carroll,Potawattemle and
GunrySemndaryRoaLs one or even what awatershed is:rays Steve Hopenswith the Does Clarke counties now boast creek signs,with more planned.WIRB
Engine, Watershed Improvement Program.'Wewant people to understand and other groups havefunded sign projects In other parts of the
Gun Roan o(SUWMsors
more creeks they cross over every day,and drawing state as well.
0' attention to them with these signs is a great Just step
;'
GunDSWO), Each sign up iaa vi dory for conservation: says KIAn IItiagreat
LLS EPA kaion 319 I n phase one of the project the DNR worked with the DOT a Tim mental education that for years,hopefully long past
Crouch and KurtisYounkin to Install signsad almost 40stream
PORI differen[watersFeds'. Bi Creek Lake,Bad Creek my life lF makes people better understand their place l n the
singsinnine g ger watershed and natural landscape. l am hoping that with the signs
Lake Dry Run Creek, Duck DuCreek Easter Lake lake Geode Lake irutalladthat i[will make the work of naturalists, park rangers,
Rathbun,Silver Creek and Tete des Mons Creek.Al l in ne watersheds and ad ence teachers east er In the future when they explain the
he He watershed Improvement prop ads,funded by the DNR i mportance of watershed level inanagem ant"
through the EPA a Section 319 nonpont source program.
Phase two focused on placing creek crossing signs on all federal
and state inigFwaysInthe Turkey, Boone and Floyd river basins.
More than 60 locations received signs,Including creeks and river
Fir binaries,IIke the Little Turkey River,that had not been signed *iZi�teb7reast
before.
Creek
We hope that by Increasing Iowans'awareness of the waters they
travel over,they an better understand Issuesaffeding Iocal water
qualiryand what ee dents an do to in prove conditi ons, Hopkins
says.
nwestern Iowa,John Klein has led the charge to help draw
attention to local streams.While it now a volunteer effort for
the retired former Missouri and Mississippi Divide Resource
Conservation and Development NRCS coordinator,it all began on
Frejch bad In2010.
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or
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cou,rtr��, •R �!i �-� � +Cr � � . t .� ,fir � '�, h� y
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
Nk ie with you ewryads
33
pidays uwy.When Iowans
ities
together inmeoc goal of
ie: Iowa's Watershed Management Authorities
iMmmecommong alof 9
improving their lake,
river the DNR and our partners
can depyoutake action �I
Local groups
technical afi d
Manage to create aWatershed eade
Management
esPlanHe plan
assesses
the
watershed f
problems,develops solutions
, syo community
the
Theplan much e
map, moves you toward
and
helpsyou get back ontrack
if
detours pop upalong
R--
tl9
--
the way
Once you have plan you
need to put iPin action. DNR
an Fel pyou meni (wettable
grant fund opportunities to get
you started.Use these grants
to help you launch your plan,
making changes on the land to
Improve Newater. DNR staff an
continue to provide technical
and outreach assistance and bade' . _ ___ w'sd� •
guidance along the way our , amgw
partners,IDOLS 6, c ^
and USDA www.+ wopenewlegri .1 Use blesse
sN alsx
o offer additional financial and �`" "� xu.uu�
tecnni al asci stance. ,r��..walm rpww+ o.,o..rnadeeloaJobses
For mom information about
thisdocument has Seen
ral
rani
US
mental
DNR Watershed Improvement: encyunderthermend wnrntsou emanagmem vmg IN�bn 319 ohne clew wmersarrl9rmend and smreeass pmen�em payment ndS
Steve Hopkins,515-725 8390 or or publicmrslm ion(such as access to wases or doledes)to lby(me no and brahysm 1,
Stephen.Hopkinpdnrwua Sol, gender identity,national gasAllen, sy Cron rnsnsW samy rereameoavrzne
genry,noremsmwslCnrnsaee namesormmmemal mm uasmn game endorsementor�m menemlCntor
9
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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Leading Iowans in caring for our natural resources
www.iowadnr.gov