USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program Competive Pre-Application ProposalTHE CITY OF
Dui
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
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2007 • 2012 • 2013
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Regional Conservation Partnership Program Competitive Pre -Application
Proposal
DATE: July 30, 2014
Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann is recommending approval of the Pre -Proposal
Application for the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
7.-
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
bc./114X tvii
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
To: Mike Van Milligen
From: Teri Goodmann Assistant City Manager
Date: July 17, 2014
Subject: Regional Conservation Partnership Program Competitive Pre -Application Proposal
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to request City Council approval of the attached preproposal application for
the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
BACKGROUND
The USDA has created a new program which has been described as the "launch of a new era in American
conservation efforts with an historic focus on public private partnership." By leveraging public and
private partnerships the USDA hopes to address the issue of water quality in a way that will go way
beyond current government programs.
DISCUSSION
The program encourages public bodies, local governments, universities, private sector businesses,
environmental organizations, tribal governments and agricultural organizations and producer groups to
join together and submit a pre- proposal application in hopes of making the cut and being invited by the
USDA to submit a full proposal application September 26th.
The USDA has identified $1.2 billion in funding over the five year life of the program and hopes to
leverage and additional $1.2 billion from partners in the form of technical assistance, volunteer time and
other expenditures focused on addressing water quality. $400 million in USDA funding is available in the
first year. Proposals can focus on soil health, water quality, wildlife habitat and water use efficiency.
Conservation work creates jobs in local communities and provides an economic boost by supporting
outdoor tourism activities. The Mississippi River Basin was identified by the USDA as one of six critical
conservation areas for the purposes of this grant opportunity.
PROJECT COST — BUDGET IMPACT
Should the submitted pre -proposal application be successful and the City and partners included in the
plan of work be asked to submit a final application, the focus of the City's participation would be to
secure funding for the Catfish Creek Watershed Authority. The City would use the Bee Branch
Watershed flood mitigation project funding to leverage funding for the Catfish Creek Watershed
Authority.
ACTION TO BE TAKEN:
I respectfully request City Council approval of the attached letter of intent.
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
1.2014 REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM APPLICATION
COVER
a. Project Title: Driftless Region Integrated Partnership - DRIP
b. Project Manager: Jeff Hastings, 608-606-4158, jhastings@tu.org
c. Lead partner: Trout Unlimited, Inc.
d. Mailing Address: 1777 North Kent Street, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22209
c. Collaborating partner(s):WI, MN, IL and IA Depai talent of Natural Resources (DNR), Minnesota
Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship, US Fish
and Wildlife Service, 17 Trout Unlimited Chapters, 42 County Soil & Water Conservation Districts/Land
Conservation Departments, 15 County Engineer Departments, NRCS Field Offices in four states,
Minnesota Pollution Control, county Farm Bureau offices in all four states, Iowa Soybean Association,
Universities in the Driftless region, IIIA, Iowa Flood Center, The McKnight Foundation, Northeast Iowa
RC&D, Southwest Badger RC&D, The Turkey River Watershed Management Authority, Catfish Creek
Watershed Management Authority, the Whitewater Watershed Joint Powers Board of Soil and Water
Conservation Districts and County Commissioners, National Mississippi River Museum, University of
Illinois Cooperative Extension, Chapters of the League of Women Voters from WI, MN, IL, and IA, Iowa
Water Improvement Resources Board, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Jo Daviess Conservation
Foundation, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Minnesota Land Trust, City of Dubuque, US Geological
Survey Bureau, Dubuque County Conservation Board, Sierra Club chapters, IOWA 1'tR volunteers,
Green Dubuque, Sustainable Dubuque Network, Apple Canyon Lake Resort.
e. Funding pool: x -- Name of CCA: Mississippi River Basin I -National FIState
f. Short general summary of project and description of resource issues to be addressed:
The primary resource concern for this project is Water Quality Degradation, specifically, the high
contributing excess nutrient and sediment sources in surface waters of the Mississippi River Basin's
Driftless Area watersheds, which are located in Northwest Illinois, Northeast Iowa, Southeast Minnesota
and Southwest Wisconsin. Secondary resource concern of Inadequate Habitat for Fish and Wildlife or
more specifically habitat degradation in and adjacent to the Driftless Area's streams and rivers will also
be addressed. Four HUC 8 watersheds will be prioritized within the Driftless Area including 1) the Apple -
Plum Watershed of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, 2) the Kickapoo Watershed of Wisconsin, 3) the
Buffalo -Whitewater Watershed of Minnesota and Wisconsin and 4) the Turkey River Watershed in Iowa.
Each of these priority HUC 8 watersheds has been the focus of monitoring, outreach and education and
innovative, locally -led private/public collaboration and conservation delivery. Together they will integrate
and apply multiple conservation approaches to deliver comprehensive and measurable solutions across the
larger multi -state Driftless Area.
Trout Unlimited has recruited the most forward thinking partners to collaborate in a conservation
approach that will change the way municipalities, counties, states, nonprofits, corporations, producer
groups and producers interact with each other regarding watersheds and water quality, stream and river
ecosystems, watershed hydrology, stream function, policy development, program implementation and
practice delivery. The cash and in-kind match is provided by public and private partners with a strong
emphasis on local contributions and landowner engagement in the process. The majority of the funds
requested are for EQIP dollars to pay for conservation practices that recognize the inherent function of the
watershed system and the ability of specific conservation practices to slow water down and filter out
sediment, reduce nutrient loading and restore aquatic ecosystems. Some ACEP dollars are requested to
purchase easements that protect high priority rivers. All the priority watersheds have ongoing monitoring;
some have the most extensive monitoring in the midwest and the nation. Partners conduct biologic
surveys including fish and nongame surveys, monthly water quality sampling, have USGS gauging
stations and real-time river monitoring for nitrates, phosphorous and total dissolved solids. Some are
working with producers and producer groups to establish extensive rainfall and soil moisture monitoring,
TU's Mission: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 1 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
conduct tile -line monitoring and promote participation in NRCS programs. Priority watersheds have
surveyed producer attitudes, conducted land use and livestock assessment and have partnered with
regional, state and federal agencies and nonprofits to complete Rapid Watershed Assessments, TMDLs,
nutrient loss modeling and GIS modeling that establishes and documents existing conditions. These
efforts establish baselines and will allow us to measure change over time and gauge our success at the
watershed, state and regional project level.
g. Geographic focus:
The geographic focus of the project will be the Driftless
Area of the Mississippi River Basin. This includes all the
area shown on the USDA/NRCS 2002 Major Land
Resource Area Map as Area 105 and portions of 104.
Priority for project funding will be given to four HUC 8
watersheds within this geographic region including 1) the
Apple -Plum Watershed of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin -
07060005 2) the Kickapoo Watershed of Wisconsin -
07070006 3) the Buffalo -Whitewater of Minnesota and
Wisconsin 07040003 4) the Turkey River Watershed in
Iowa 07060004.
h. Proposed start and end dates:
This is a five-year project that will start October 1st or as
soon as it is selected in FY 2015 with final funds obligated
by September 30 of FY 2019.
ie
FY 2015
FY2016 FY2017
:•Regional Conservation Partnership Program
.:`•r< Driftless Area Project
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FY 2018
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51,70.03 S 365.0W 52,853,768 5365,033 54.16444 53654003 54,165,434
5365,D3
55,165,444 5 365,003
Total estimate of RCPP funding requested: $19,914,000
Total amounts provided by partner(s): $27,465,213
S13,914,11]
2. PROJECT SUMMARY
TU's Mission: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 2 of 6
Partner Provided RCPP Request
Total
Finanacial Assistance
$ 20,108,396 $ 18,089,000
$ 38,197,396
Technical Assistance
$ 7,068,067 $ 1,825,000
$ 8,893,067
Admin Costs
$ 288,750 $ -
$ 288,750
Total
$ 27,465,213 $ 19,914,000
$ 47,379,213
2. PROJECT SUMMARY
TU's Mission: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 2 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
a. Project objectives and the natural resource concerns that will be addressed and how those
concerns were identified.
The Driftless Area is a unique region of the Mississippi River Valley that is affectionately referred to by
those who live in it as the "heart of the Mississippi River Valley." The distinctive, diverse, landscape of
the Driftless Area is characterized by craggy limestone, sandstone valleys, sinkholes, steep, highly -
erodible hillsides, hardwood forests, shallow, fragile soils and diverse land use. Although this region is a
holdout for dairy producers, local food producers and grass-fed beef producers, soybean and corn
production are particularly significant in the upper portions of the watersheds. The ancient terrain, which
was bypassed by the continental glaciers, has dozens of state and nationally recognized priority rivers and
higher concentrations of threatened and endangered species and ecosystems than anywhere else in the
Midwest. It is also blessed with one of the highest concentrations of limestone spring creeks in the world.
The spring water emerging from the limestone bedrock cascades down waterfalls and emerges from the
hills into forests, pastures and fields, providing a near constant flow of cold water to hundreds of trout
streams in this region. The limestone enriches the surface water with essential minerals for aquatic insects
and other creatures, which contributes to prime conditions for healthy populations of trout and other cold
water dependent species. More than 600 spring creeks (exceeding 4,000 river miles) cross this 24,000
square -mile landscape. The Driftless Area region's springs, creeks and rivers are extremely vulnerable to
degradation. In recent years, high commodity crop prices have resulted in the loss of thousands of acres of
CRP, wetland acres and perennial vegetation. Increased tiling and the loss of pasture and hay in crop
rotations has further reduced the storage capacity of the Driftless watersheds. Combined, these system-
wide changes have increased rainfall runoff, flash flows, nutrient loss and sedimentation. Today, many of
the streams in the Driftless Area have steep eroding banks, incised channels, and poor in -stream habitat.
Heavy rainfall events result in flash flows that accelerate erosion and nutrient loss from fields and stream
banks. In some cases, causing so much destruction that streambank erosion is responsible for as much as
85% of the total sediment load. The flash flows and resulting heavy sediment and nutrient loading also
destroys aquatic and terrestrial habitat.
The watersheds prioritized in this proposal are struggling with water quality and habitat loss. According
to the Iowa DNR, water quality monitoring conducted in 7 eastern Iowa rivers during the 2008 floods
revealed the Turkey River Watershed contributed the highest nitrogen and sediment yield/square mile of
watershed to the Mississippi River of all 7 rivers. The study compared the Turkey River to Mississippi
River watersheds outside the Driftless Area including the Maquoketa, Cedar, Iowa, Wapsipinicon, Skunk
and Des Moines Rivers. A more recent seven-year IDNR study of 26 streams and rivers found that the
Turkey River was the fourth highest contributor of sediment during normal flow. Several small
communities in the region have been devastated or completely wiped out by flooding including Elkader,
Volga, Littleport, Elkport and Garber. Millions of dollars in damage has occurred to private and public
infrastructure. Many streams in the Buffalo -Whitewater Watershed have nutrient levels exceeding state
standards. This scenario has been repeated throughout the Driftless Area. Flash flood waters, heavily
laden with nutrients and sediment, have caused millions of dollars in damage to streams, fields, farms,
communities and rural private and public infrastructure including county road and bridge infrastructure
and in -stream and near stream conservation practices.
Driftless Area watershed public and private entities have responded by collaborating to evaluate, plan and
implement watershed initiatives across political and social boundaries. Each agreeing to work within their
jurisdiction, and collaborate outside their authority in larger watersheds, to understand the issues, plan for
change, adopt new county and community policies, implement new techniques and work with producers
and producer groups to put conservation practices on the ground in a systematic way. These partners are
just as dedicated to tracking, predicting and measuring their success. Seven SWCDs, 5 county boards and
23 communities formed one of Iowa's first Watershed Management Authorities (WMA), the Turkey
TU's Mission: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 3 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS—RCPP
July 14, 2014
River WMA. The five counties in the Turkey River WMA have developed new policy that allows them to
help landowners construct grade stabilization structures and water and sediment control basins. Through
this project, they are sharing this policy with county engineers in the other priority watersheds. In the
Apple Plum Watershed, the City of Dubuque has not only partnered with the county, their SWCD and
others to form a WMA, they also agreed to provide millions of dollars for rural and urban conservation
practices and habitat restoration in a subwatershed of the Apple Plum Watershed, Catfish Creek. Similar
collaborations in the Buffalo -Whitewater Watershed and the Kickapoo Watershed have expanded to
involve dozens of partners. The same underlying issues drove each of these locally led initiatives; poor
water quality, habitat loss, destructive flash flows and a determination to share responsibility and
systematically implement conservation practices. It is through these initiatives and partnerships that this
project was born.
Trout Unlimited brought together local leaders from the most innovative initiatives in each of the four
Driftless Area states. These partners worked with us to develop this application to address the following
Natural Resource Concerns: Priority - Water Quality Degradation - Excess nutrients and sediment in
surface waters. Secondary - Inadequate Habitat for Fish and Wildlife - Habitat degradation. If this
proposal is advanced, they have agreed to work independently and collectively on the following
Objectives.
Objective 1: Educate, engage and include producers, producer groups and citizens in all aspects of the
project including outreach, implementation and monitoring.
Objective 2: Hold soil and nutrients on the land. Implement conservation practices that stop or slow
rainwater where it falls or increase rainwater infiltration so that stormwater runoff and the transport of
nutrients and sediment into aquatic systems is reduced.
Objective 3: Slow down rainwater runoff and reduce the frequency and intensity of heavy flash flows
that carry nutrient and sediment laden water into streams and rivers, thereby protecting aquatic and
riparian habitat, streambanks, stream and river substrate, conservation practices and private and public
infrastructure.
Objective 4: Restore aquatic and wildlife habitat and in -stream and near stream ecosystems.
Objective 5: Permanently protect and enhance highly sensitive, priority properties adjacent to streams
and rivers in the Driftless.
2. b. Evaluating Outcomes
Working with our state DNR partners we will continue to monitor pre- and post -restoration target fish
population survey measures including: 1) Changes in population density (total number of individuals per
mile #/mile) 2) Changes in size structure (size distribution by catch per unit effort) 3) Changes in number
of young of the year per mile 4) Change in larger quality size fish, based on individual stream
management objectives. We will continue to work with Winona State and others on our nongame project
sites including: Pre inventory of nongame species prior to the start of project, recommendations for
nongame practices, and post project evaluation of nongame practices. We are also planning to do an
economic analysis of cold water angling in the Driftless Area and relationship to stream restoration
projects, and pre and post estimates of sediment loss on bank erosion projects. Our collaborating partners
will also be helping us measure the success of this project in other ways. We will select the most useful
and consistent data from the following monitoring methods being paid for by partner organizations in our
priority watersheds. These include chemical and biological monitoring, GIS, TMDL, RLCM nutrient
assessment and modeling in priority watersheds as follows:
• Turkey River Watershed 1) Monthly grab samples at 50 sites (Nitrates, Phosphates, pH, E. Coli,
Dissolved Oxygen, Chloride, Ammonia, Temperature, Transparency) by SWCD's, Iowa DNR
and RC&D. 2) Real-time nitrate monitoring combined with 7 gauging stations and 13 stream
level bridge sensors to measure nitrate concentrations and quantify changes in nutrient loading by
TU's Mission: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 4 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS — RCPP
July 14, 2014
1HIR, Iowa Flood Center and USGS. 3) Rainfall and soil moisture probes at 20 sites in the
watershed to allow extrapolation of watershed wide variances in rainfall and the impact of those
variances on nutrient and sediment loading by RC&D, McKnight Foundation, Iowa Flood Center,
IIHR. 4) Nutrient reduction modeling (pending 2014 national CIG application by IFC and local
partners) 5) GIS analysis of land cover changes using Rapid Land Cover Mapper (RLCM) Tool
(pending 2014 state CIG application submitted by RC&D) 6) Rapid Watershed Assessment
completed by Iowa NRCS.
• Apple -Plum Watershed 1) Monthly grab samples at 22 sites (Total Suspended Solids, Nitrogen,
Phosphorus, and Ecoli). 2) Annual complete index of biotic integrity for benthic
macroinvertebrates in 7 locations by City of Dubuque, Catfish Creek Watershed Management
Authority Board and Illinois League of Women Voters. 3) One real-time nitrate monitor and 3
USGS gauging stations measuring flow. 4) Annual biological monitoring in 8 streams, University
of Illinois Cooperative Extension 5) Annual RASCAL monitoring in select subwatersheds 6)
Intensive Basin Survey at 20 locations every 5 -years conducted by IEPA. 7) 100 sites tested by
50 IOWA [ER volunteers for Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, Phosphate, Dissolved Oxygen, Temp,
Transparency, eColi and benthics.
• Kickapoo Watershed 1) Monitoring at over 60 sites in the watershed for temperature, core,
nutrients, macroinvertebrate, bacteriological and chemical analysis by Valley Stewardship
Network including. Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite, Phosphorus turbidity, conductivity, stream
flow, temperature, dissolved oxygen 2) GIS analysis of the watershed.
• Buffalo -Whitewater Watershed 1) Monitoring of biological and physical conditions including
flow and load monitoring and chemical monitoring at 38 sites in the watershed by Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Whitewaters Joint Powers Board. Permanent flow and
chemistry monitoring station, MPCA, Minnesota DNR, and USGS. Sediment/turbidity TMDL
completed by MPCA in 2011.
Reporting
Trout Unlimited will be responsible for writing interim reports every fall and a final report following the
last construction season. Reports will include the level of participation by producers, conservation
objectives achieved (description of practices installed and associated unit), the dollars spent and in-kind
contributions made by each partner, and final report will include monitoring results from each of the four
states.
2. c. Project Activities
Objective l: Educate, engage and include producers, producer groups and citizens in all
aspects of the project including outreach, implementation and monitoring.
Activities: Local partners will immediately be contributing their assistance to conduct outreach and
education and engaging producers including chapters of the League of Women Voters, county farm
bureaus, producer groups, SWCDs and RC&Ds. Part of this engagement will include involving the
producers and producer groups in monitoring rainfall and soil moisture and monitoring water quality in
streams and in -field tile lines. Producers have also agreed to work with partners to demonstrate and
promote conservation practices. These activities will be ongoing through the life of the project.
Objective 2: Hold soil and nutrients on the lana Implement conservation practices that stop or
slow rainwater where it falls or increase rainwater infiltration so that stormwater runoff is reduced and
the transport of nutrients and sediment into aquatic systems is reduced
Activities: SWCDs and technical service providers contracted through this project will provide assistance
to producers from the priority watersheds to implement conservation practices that hold soil and nutrients
on the land, especially in the upper portions of the watershed above grade stabilization, sediment basins
and water sediment and control structures. This activity will begin immediately but ramp up after the first
TU's Mission: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 5 of 6
TROUT UNLIMITED
Proposed Project Name: Maximizing Conservation in the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River Valley
Proposal to NRCS— RCPP
July 14, 2014
year when we know more about the exact locations for sediment control basins and grade stabilization
structures so that they can be protected by these practices.
CORE Practices: Cover Crop 340, Contour Buffer Strip 332, Grassed Waterway 412, Strip Cropping
585, Terraces 600, Tree and Shrub Establishment 580
Objective 3: Slow down rainwater runoff and reduce the frequency and intensity of heavy flash
flows that carry nutrient and sediment laden water into streams and rivers, thereby protecting aquatic
and riparian habitat, streambanks, stream and river substrate, conservation practices and private and
public infrastructure.
Activities: Communities and counties in the priority watersheds are investing in their own conservation
infrastructure as well as contributing to private lands conservation in their priority watersheds. This
project is innovative because of these partnerships and the fact that several counties have proposed new
policy that allows them to provide matching funds for grade stabilization, sediment basins, and water and
sediment control basins on private lands in the upper portions of their watersheds. These structures are
proposed above flowing water, where they can successfully intercept and slow rainwater run off without
impacting stream water temperature or intercepting stream flow. The counties are incentivizing producer
participation in these practices in small drainage areas of approximately 50 to 250 acres, particularly
where those drainages intercept with roads. Because landowner interest is high, Technical Assistance
from TSPs will be needed to provide engineering for these structures in the counties that are contributing
the most to these practices during this five-year project.
CORE Practices: Grade Stabilization 410, Sediment Basin 350, Water and Sediment Control Basin 638,
Wetland Creation 658, Wetland Restoration 657
Objective 4: Restore aquatic and wildlife habitat especially in -stream and near stream
ecosystems.
Activities: As water and sediment are held on the land and destructive flash flows are reduced by small
retention structures, we will work with producers to stabilize and restore stream banks, riparian areas,
construct in -stream and near stream habitat and enhance near stream vegetation.
CORE Practices: Filter Strips 393, Access Control 472, Heavy Use Protection 561, Restoration and
Management of Declining Habitat 643, Riparian Forest Buffer 391, Stream Crossing 578, Stream Habitat
Improvement & Management, Stream shoreline Protection 580, Upland Wildlife Habitat Management
645, Wetland Wildlife Habitat 644. SUPPORTING Practices: Fencing 382, Livestock Pipeline 516,
Tree/Shrub Site Preparation 490, Watering Facility 614, Water Well 642.
Objective 5: Permanently protect and enhance highly sensitive, priority properties adjacent to
streams and rivers in the Driftless Area.
Activities: Land trusts from 4 states, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, JoDaviess Conservation
Foundation, Driftless Area Land Conservancy and Minnesota Land Trust, have agreed to lead permanent
protection efforts and secure matching dollars for Agricultural Conservation Easements that protect and
improve conservation practices on approximately 1,500 to 2,000 acres of working lands in the project
area.
Assisting Producers in Meeting/Avoiding the Need for Natural Resource Regulatory Requirements:
This project does not have specfc components that help producers meet or avoid the need for natural
resource regulatory requirements as noted in Section 1271B(d) (4) (A) of the 1985 Act.
Any Requested Adjustment of Terms: This project does request adjustments in the terms of programs.
Alternative Funding Arrangements: The project does not have alternative funding arrangements.
TU's Mission: To conserve, protect, and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Page 6 of 6