Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority Board_DICSCATFISH CREEK
WATERSHED
January 10, 2014
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
City of Dubuque
City Hall — 50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque IA 52001
SUBJECT: Partnership for Wetlands Mitigation Bank
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
The Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority is an organization assembled to tackle
concerns with water quality and flooding on a watershed level. The Board of Directors is comprised
of representatives from the Cities of Asbury, Centralia, Dubuque, and Peosta; Dubuque County; and
the Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District. Our mission is to reduce the risks of flooding
and its effects, improve water quality and promote a healthier existence for all living things that call
the Catfish Creek Watershed home. This means crossing jurisdictional boundaries and working
together to solve problems within the entire watershed.
The Catfish Creek Watershed is a beautiful and diverse 57 square mile watershed that includes
industrial centers, residential neighborhoods, rolling cropland, steep bluffs and rock outcrops,
and dense forests. About half of the City of Dubuque lies in the watershed as well as parts of the
Cities of Asbury, Peosta and Centralia. Much of the watershed lies in Dubuque County and
remains rural.
The five forks of Catfish Creek support a diverse set of plants and animals and are a draw for
hunters, fishers and those seeking to enjoy some of Dubuque County's most scenic areas, but
they remain threatened by large amounts of soil and nutrients entering the water from both urban
and agricultural runoff.
Today, there is a greater scientific understanding of the importance of the role wetlands play in
water quality, flood mitigation, nutrient reduction, habitat for fish and wildlife, and how our
landscape functions as a whole. Information about wetland mitigation banking is enclosed.
Federal wetland mitigation rules require replacement of wetlands to be drained or altered for
public or private improvements or infrastructure. Wetland mitigation can be on the site or off the
site, or through a wetland mitigation bank. In this program, a bank sponsor restores a large
wetland complex and is responsible for coordinating with the regulatory agencies, acquiring
land, developing the site, managing the wetland and assuring its success. A farmer, developer, or
municipality who desires to alter a wetland can purchase a "credit" at the bank to satisfy
mitigation requirements allowing the project to proceed legally.
Partnership for Wetlands Mitigation Bank
Page 2
The Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority is interested in co- sponsoring Dubuque
County's first wetland mitigation bank, working with the City of Dubuque. The Board has
discussed the possibility of creating a wetlands mitigation bank in partnership with the City at
the newly- developed Dubuque Industrial Center South. The City's conservation of floodplain
and wetlands in an open space area presents an opportunity for this partnership.
Board members welcome discussion of this partnership for a wetlands mitigation bank in the
watershed. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Eric Schmechel, Urban Conservationist
Dubuque County Soil & Water Conservation District
cc: Board of Directors, Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority