Forwarded by Jane Clark

PUBLIC'S HELP NEEDED TO IMPROVE RACCOON RIVER; PUBLIC MEETINGS ANNOUNCED

MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Van Gorp at (515) 281-4791 or 
[log in to unmask]

DES MOINES - From Jefferson to Guthrie Center, from Sac City to Des Moines - 
the Iowa DNR is seeking your suggestions, comments and questions on 
improving water quality in the Raccoon River.

While the river may not run directly through your town or farm, you may 
still live in the river's watershed. A watershed, also called a river basin, 
is an area of land that drains into a river or stream. Making improvements 
in smaller streams and changing how land is managed in the watershed can 
make a difference in the river.

The DNR has developed a water quality improvement plan for the Raccoon 
River. The DNR will hold four public meetings in the watershed to explain 
the DNR's findings and what needs to be done to improve the river. The DNR 
will also answer questions and accept comments on the plan. The meetings 
will be held:

Guthrie Center:
Nov. 8, 1:30 p.m., Springbrook Education Center (north of Guthrie Center on 
F-25)

Jefferson:
Nov. 7, 7:00 p.m., Greene County Community Center, 204 W. Harrison

Sac City:
Nov. 7, 1:30 p.m., Sac City Community Recreation Center, 1015 W. Main St.

West Des Moines
Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m., Raccoon River Park Nature Lodge, 2500 Grand Ave.


Portions of the Raccoon River are impaired by high levels of bacteria and 
nitrates. High levels of bacteria can cause people recreating in the rivers 
to become sick. Elevated nitrate levels cause problems with using the rivers 
as a drinking water source, including thousands of people in the Des Moines 
metro area. The DNR's improvement plan found that 90 percent of water 
quality problems in the Raccoon River come from nonpoint sources. Nonpoint 
source pollution, especially sediment, nutrients and bacteria, washes into 
the Raccoon River from wide areas like farm fields, forested lands and urban 
areas.

However, the situation cannot be fixed without the help of people upstream 
who can address the water quality in their local streams. Citizen 
involvement is critical to achieve water quality goals in these watersheds 
and across the state.

With the help of Iowans, the DNR is developing water quality improvement 
plans, also known as a Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), to address waters 
across the state considered "impaired." The DNR calculates how much of a 
pollutant a water body can receive and still maintain its designated use 
such as maintaining aquatic life, allowing body contact such as swimming or 
being used as a drinking water supply.

The plan also suggests ways Iowans can improve the Raccoon River. The DNR 
works with local groups to form watershed projects that put the water 
quality improvement plan into action.

Those not able to attend the meetings can view the plan at 
http://watershed.iowadnr.gov/tmdl/publicnotice.html and can send their 
comments by Nov. 26 to the DNR through the following contact:

Chris Van Gorp
Iowa DNR
Wallace State Office Building
502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, 50319
(515) 281-4791
[log in to unmask]

For more information on water quality improvement plans and watershed 
projects, visit the DNR's watershed improvement Web site at 
http://watershed.iowadnr.gov. 

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