IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES June 14, 2007 For immediate release 1. Money available for volunteer watershed cleanups 2. EPC July meeting change 3. Open feedlot producers can find help on nutrient management plans 4. City employee discovers Des Moines wastewater bypass 5. SIFIC board to meet June 20 MONEY AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTEER WATERSHED CLEANUPS MEDIA CONTACT: Brandon Harland at (515) 281-3150 or [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. DES MOINES -This summer, several Iowa communities will get help cleaning up their waterways from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR will accept applications for up to 18 watershed cleanup mini-grants until Sept. 7. The mini-grants, worth up to $1,000 apiece, are part of the DNR’s CLEAR (Community Leaders Enhancing Area Rivers) program. Winning applicants will use the money to fund cleanup events on local lakes, rivers or streams. “We had a phenomenal 2006 cleanup season, so we’re very excited to start a new round for grants,” said Brandon Harland, who works with the DNR’s CLEAR grants. “Iowans are very motivated in cleaning up their lakes and streams, and we’re happy we can assist them with these grants.” The cleanup events will include volunteer trash removal, natural resources education and responsible waste management (collected garbage must be properly disposed of and recycled when possible). Cleanup organizers should plan to make their events self-sufficient in subsequent years. Find more information, including application materials, at www.iowater.net<http://www.iowater.net/>. The Sept. 7 deadline marks the first round of CLEAR applications. During the program’s 2006 cleanup season, the DNR awarded funds to 17 Iowa communities. Visit an online events calendar at www.keepersoftheland.org<http://www.keepersoftheland.org/> for details about these and other volunteer opportunities. The CLEAR mini-grant program evolved from the DNR’s annual river cleanup event called Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition). That program, a weeklong canoe trip and watershed cleanup, has involved hundreds of Iowa volunteers every year since 2003. Tremendous interest in local cleanups among AWARE volunteers first inspired CLEAR. First-round CLEAR grant recipients will be announced on Sept. 21 and can receive funding beginning Sept. 28. They must use their funds within one year of receiving the money. Completed applications must be postmarked by September 7, 2007 and mailed to: Brandon Harland - Iowa DNR, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines IA 50319. Funded through the DNR’s REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection) program, CLEAR grants are administered by the DNR’s watershed monitoring and assessment program. Writer: Brandon Harland # # # EPC JULY MEETING CHANGE MEDIA CONTACT: Tammie Krausman, (515) 281-8382 DES MOINES - The Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) has rescheduled its July meeting to be held on July 2 at 10 a.m. The meeting will take place at the DNR Air Quality Building, 7900 Hickman Ave., Des Moines. Public comments are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. The meeting was originally scheduled for July 3, but was moved due to the Fourth of July holiday. The agenda and further information may be found at: http://www.iowadnr.gov/epc/<http://www.iowadnr.gov/epc/> later this week. Writer: Holly Williams # # # OPEN FEEDLOT PRODUCERS CAN FIND HELP ON NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANS MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Prier, DNR Spencer field office, at (712) 262-4177. DES MOINES - Livestock producers who are required to have a nutrient management plan can find help on the DNR Web site. The plans are required by state law for open feedlot (unroofed or partially roofed) producers that have the capacity to house 1,000 or more animal units. One thousand animal units is equivalent to 1,000 beef cattle, 700 mature dairy cattle or 2,500 finishing hogs. “We’ve tried to make it easier for these larger open feedlots to get their nutrient management plan done and submitted to the DNR by the state deadline of July 31, 2007,” said Jeff Prier of the Spencer DNR field office. Prier said that the DNR has developed several new Web pages for producers that include information about nutrient management plans, forms to prepare the plans and forms that can be used to prepare the required public notice. Producers can find information at http://www.iowadnr.gov/afo/mhandling_nmp.html<http://www.iowadnr.gov/afo/mhandling_nmp.html> or under Open Feedlots on the DNR’s Web site at http://www.iowadnr.gov/afo/index.html<http://www.iowadnr.gov/afo/index.html>. “If a producer fills out this form and uses it to provide public notice in a newspaper, that should meet the state requirements for public notice,” Prier said. “We developed this form because a couple of producers have already prepared plans and didn’t include all the required elements. Consequently, they have had to redo the public notice, and we don’t want anyone to have to do that,” he said. After July 31, producers who are required to have a nutrient management plan can no longer spread manure until their plan is approved by the DNR. For more information or copies of the forms, call one of the regional DNR field offices: Northeast Iowa, Manchester, (563) 927-2640. North Central Iowa, Mason City, (641) 424-4073. Northwest Iowa, Spencer, (712) 262-4177. Southwest Iowa, Atlantic, (712) 243-1934. South Central Iowa, Des Moines, (515) 725-0268. Southeast Iowa, Washington, (319) 653-2135. Writer: Karen Grimes # # # CITY EMPLOYEE DISCOVERS DES MOINES WASTEWATER BYPASS MEDIA CONTACT: Ted Petersen at (515) 725-0274 DES MOINES - A Des Moines Public Works employee discovered a wastewater discharge Wednesday afternoon while taking routine water samples. The employee noticed cloudy water in a stream and tracked the cloudy water back to a discharge from a manhole. The manhole is located in an open field behind 2315 Bennett Ave. City staff found that tree roots were clogging the sanitary sewer line and stopped the discharge by 6:30 Wednesday evening. While it is unknown when the discharge began, the city estimates it was flowing at a rate of two to three gallons per minute. Some of the wastewater likely reached the Des Moines River, but would have been highly diluted. The city will remove the root obstruction and further inspect the sewer line. It also used lime to disinfect the area around the manhole. Writer: Jessie Brown # # # SIFIC BOARD TO MEET JUNE 20 MEDIA CONTACT: Dan Lane, DNR, at (515) 281-6696 DES MOINES - The State of Iowa Facilities Improvement Corporation (SIFIC), an Iowa non-profit corporation, will hold a meeting of its Board of Directors at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 20. The board will meet in the Kennedy Conference Room of the Iowa State Capitol Building. SIFIC is responsible for facilitating energy management improvements in state facilities. -30- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp