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Catfish Creek Watershed Public Information Brochures Copyright 2014 City of Dubuque Consent Items # 8. ITEM TITLE: Catfish Creek Watershed SUMMARY: City Manager transmitting educational brochures for the Catfish Creek Watershed. SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File ATTACHMENTS: Description Type ❑ Catfish Creek Brochure Supporting Documentation ❑ Watershed Educational Material Supporting Documentation y u.: I i 1 41 h missionThe of the Catfish Watershed Management Authority is to reduce the risks of promote / healthier 1 all living things / CATFISH CREEK call the Catfish Creek • • • , home. WATERSHED .. ell k - d J� fi: t F 1 ti Y r L pp pp,, *1 e 3+� A,art ^'. 4 4 y� What is the CATFISH CREEK WATERSHED? k a� gypy: 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 Asbury, Peosta, and Centralia. Much of the watershed 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, however, they remain threatened by large amounts of soil and nutrients entering the water from both urban and agricultural runoff. Background The Upper Catfish Creek Watershed Project} Over the course of four years, The Upper Catfish Creek Watershed Project started in 2007. The Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) recognized the Upper Catfish Creek Watershed as a _ _ priority area. Upper Catfish Creek begins as a cold water trout stream and plays a vital IN In role for recreations l opportunities within Dubuque County The Dubuque SWCD became � � • progressively more concerned as they noted the Increasing trend of agricultural land • • • i • converting to urban development areas in Dubuque County, The City of Dubuque and Dubuque County were eager and excited to partner with the Dubuque SWCD to create a Watershed Coordinator position and watershed council group that would begin working due to urban and rural with both agricultural and urban landowners in thewatershed. In 2008, City of Dubuque Engineering Department and Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District staff began collaborating to form an educational outreach program throughout the community, an extension of the City's 1 ' 1 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) ' permit. Since 2008, low-impact development (LID) conferences, erosion control and stormwater contractor ' 1 workshops, and student programs have been held annually, and have successfully brought together members of the public, engineers, planners, developers, and contractors to learn more about the importance of watershed planning and watershed practices. A comprehensive water-monitoring program was initiated throughout the watershed via a 28e agreement between the City of Dubuque and the Soil and Water Conservation District. !J � iJ Rain garden project with St.Columbkille Elementary Middle school students learn auout watersheds as part of the Bergfeld Pond clean-up by Washington Middle School in created through the City's cost-sharing program Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority's public outreach conclusion of the Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority's Watershed Game URBAN CONSERVATION PROGRAM A 28e agreement was formed in 2010 to establish an • : • , urban conservation program and to begin the development of a watershed plan and promote conservation practices • -• ;- ,. -- -• ,- - throughout the entire watershed. The City of Dubuque •• • • • - • • • - understood and realized the importance of working beyond , -• • - , • - • • city limit boundaries and started to work with partners across , • - • • • • the watershed transitioning the Watershed Coordinator position to the broader position of Urban Conservationist. - • •• - • -• - In August of 2014 the cit of Dubuque applied for funding for Im proem ents In the Catfish Geek Watershed through the State of Iowa Water Resource Restoration sponsored Project program as part of the citys state Revolving Fund (SRF) loan for the Upper Ree Branch Geek Restoration Project In December of 2014 the Environmental Protection Commission established $1.4 million In funding for improvements within the Catfish Geek Watershed. The Catfish Geek Watershed Authority intends to use the available SEE sponsorship dollars to begin strategically implementing improvements in the watershed as outlined in the Catfish Geek Watershed Management Plan. Building on the public/private relationships forged as part of the formation of me Catfish Geek Watershed Authority and me development of the watershed plan, the Catfish Creek Watershed Authority has started to develop cost share programs for both urban and rural property owners. The urban best management practices that would be eligible for cost share would include bioretention rain gardens vegetated swales, oil quality restoration and wetland enhancements/establishments. L•3 Ruralctices would also includea Rural practices that would pra g(ia • s ' address flooding and me discharge of sediment and nutrients. The cost share rate would be 75% of the estimated cost of each project meaning the Catfish Geek Authority project an Boardwould landowner would 75% of me estimated oast of me project and oa landowner wood be responsible for 25%. 1 1 The Catfish Geek Watershed Authority has partnered with the Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District and the USDA CATFISH CREEK Natural Resource Conservation Service to a4istwlm the technical WATERSHED aspects of mese Best Management Practices. All landowners In WWW.catflshcreekN2tershedorg the Catfish Creekwatershed would be eligible toapply for one or more of the listed best management practices. DEAN MATTOON, Engineering Technician ERIC SCHMECHEL, Urban Conservationist City of Dubuque Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District dmattoon®cityofdubuqueorg eschmechel®dubuqueswcd.org 563 543 8460 920.327.0908 atershe ' Nort Fad Ea ah Creek Middle Fork Gatfiph Creek n,�w{ Ca ish Cr -[(�/[(�(� Fork Latfieh Creek � � rsh All living things need water. People need r clean water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. The health of plants and animals ' also depends on clean water. Watersheds ' take care of all these needs, but what exactly GLEAN WaTFA — is a watershed?A watershed is an area of Gatfiafi Lreek land that drains to one major body of water such as a river, lake or ocean. Dubuque's 6rang ,Greek largest watersheds include the Bee Branch Watershed and the Catfish Creek Watershed which both flow to the Mississippi River. --------------------------- L_________ c7/I.E �BP,E �hQ/1.C/L �QtP/}.dfl.P.LL� ' cl� �G!�liJ/L S�2eek ��.lE'ild/I.P.CL� is approximately 6.5 square miles of land is a 57 square-mile watershed that includes all within the city limits. It stretches from industrial centers, residential neighborhoods, the Mississippi River west past John F. rolling cropland, steep bluffs and rock Kennedy Rd., north to the Northwest outcrops, and dense forests. About half of Arterial, and south to W. 5th St. Over half , , the city of Dubuque lies in the watershed of Dubuque residents either live or work CATFISH CHEEK as well as parts of Asbury, Peosta, and in the Bee Branch Watershed. All water in w"*°"s°s° Centralia. Much of the watershed remains the Bee Branch Watershed drains to the rural. All water in the Catfish Creek Watershed Bee Branch Creek which then enters into drains to the Catfish Creek which enters into i the Mississippi River at the 16th Street the Mississippi river on the south side of i Detention Basin. Dubuque. i i i i i i i i �/ cl)M NQ&t UL& !I&44 includes creeks and streams; rainwater and _______ melting snow that soaks into the ground, flows as runoff, and pours down the storm drains in our streets; water used to water lawns and gardens; and water used to irrigate crops. All of that water eventually flows to the Mississippi River. P!6 4 e lILQ&"V .. What does this have to do with me? • All communities—from small towns to major cities—depend on lakes, reservoirs, rivers and ground water for clean drinkingwater. Every community, including Dubuque, has a responsibility to protect it. If you understand watersheds you ,� understand the ways in which water pollution occurs. Any pollutant you put on the land will end up in our creeks and ultimately in the Mississippi River. You have a direct impact on Dubuque's water quality and the health of the Bee Branch and Catfish Creek Watersheds. Please help protect our waters. You Can Make a Difference T E`M OF DUB E Ta� � n/� � �� Masterpiece on the Mississippi The five forks of Catfish Creek are currently on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of impaired and threatened waters for E. coli. _ I,This means that pollution controls in the Catfish Creek Watershed are not sufficient to maintain water quality standards. The Bee Branch Creek is not on the list of impaired waters but, at times, monitoring has indicated high concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorous, and E. coli. That is why we need your help to improve and protect the health of our waterways. There are several simple things you can do! i Do Protect O ——————— Infiltration practices such as rain gardens, bio swales, and native landscaping are all very effective Use fertilizers and lawn chemicals sparingly. Sweep up extra at capturing and treating stormwater at the source. fertilizer that falls on your driveway or sidewalk. C/llta(/L p /L is a specially designed V/ Pick up after pets. Pet waste contains bacteria that pollutes water. garden, with a man-made depression, that collects and infiltrates stormwater runoff. Rain gardens V/ Take your car to the car wash or wash it on the lawn to prevent are usually planted with native flowers, plants, or soapy water from leaving your property. grasses. The deep root structures of the native plants allow the rain water and runoff to infiltrate V/ Fix oil and antifreeze leaks from your car. Promptly clean up spills back down into the ground rather than to run off to prevent them from washing into the street and storm drain. of the property thus managing the stormwater on site. Each rain garden design is unique and Y/ Clean paint brushes in a sink, not outdoors, and properly dispose dependant on the site condition and the owner's of excess paints through a hazardous waste collection program. personal tastes. Dont Pollute 57a Glda izce /0"9/ M i The City of Dubuque has a material assistance X DON'T wash off your driveway into the street. program in place to help private land owners, schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations X DON'T dump oil or household waste in a storm drain. defray the costs of building a rain garden. Material assistance is provided on a case-by- x DON'T mow grass clippings into the street. case basis and is always dependant on available funds. X DON'T dump grass clippings or yard waste in a storm drain or on a stream bank. Compost or recycle when possible. Assistance is for materials only, which doesn't include labor costs and other expenses such as hauling materials to the site. The assistance f A / is also not to exceed half of the total cost of the Q��y(/ ��(� . M4P 05YO&W © project. Material assistance is also available for stream bank stabilization for property owners Help to prosecute violators by taking a picture of the • who have a deteriorating stream or drainage violation taking place. Call 563.690.6200 to report way passing through their property. For more any illicit activity. information, please contact Dean Mattoon with the City of Dubuque at 563.589.4202 or by JW e-mail at dmattoon@cityofdubuque.org. www.cityofdubuque.org/beebranch www.catfishcreekwatershed.org www.facebook.com/beebranchdbq www.facebook.com/catfishcreekwma www.twitter.com/beebranchdbq Dean Mattoon/Eric Schmechel Kristin Hill 563.690.6116 563.690.6068 CATFISH CREEK veaexsaen