For
immediate release:
december 21, 2011
DNR AWARDS
WATERSHED IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
MEDIA CONTACT:
Steve Hopkins, DNR nonpoint source program coordinator, 515-281-6402 or [log in to unmask]
DES MOINES –
Six contracts with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Division of Soil Conservation for five watershed improvement projects and one
water quality-farming education project were approved Dec. 20 by the
Environmental Protection Commission.
The projects
are funded by Section 319 of the Clean Water Act Amendments for nonpoint source
management programs through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Nonpoint
sources of water pollution are usually caused by rain or snowmelt moving over
and through the ground. As the water moves, it picks up and carries natural and
human-made pollutants that end up in lakes, rivers, wetlands and ground
waters.
The projects
were selected by grant proposals and a DNR committee review process. Each
selected watershed project is part of a wider effort with other partners to work
within an approved Watershed Management Plan.
Approved
watershed projects:
Clear Lake
Enhancement and Restoration Project ― $384,320 to
work with watershed residents to switch to practices that reduce phosphorus and
debris going into Clear Lake for the purpose of improving water clarity. Funding
will also partially pay for a watershed coordinator position and public outreach
activities. This project is part of a larger effort to restore and enhance Clear
Lake.
Black Hawk
Lake Watershed Project Phase 1 ― $454,332 to
target farm, urban and public lands within the watershed to adopt practices to
reduce phosphorus loading to Black Hawk Lake by 12.5 percent. Terraces, water
and debris control basins, pasture management, grass waterways, stream bank
stabilization, no-till, managing fertilizer so it stays in the soil and rain
gardens are some of the practices that will achieve this reduction. A Black Hawk
Lake project coordinator position will also be funded.
Water Quality
in Rathbun Lake 2011 ―
$290,055 to enable Rathbun Lake Project staff to target four new
sub-watersheds to reduce debris and phosphorus delivery from priority land used
primarily for row crop production from Jan. 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. Project
activities will assist landowners to apply best management practices including
terraces, grass waterways, grade stabilization structures and debris
basins.
Duck Creek
Watershed Management Plan ― $177,640 to
reduce E. coli bacteria loading to Duck Creek through cost share to help
priority urban areas with projects that help absorb rain in the ground and a pet
waste disposal campaign. Funds will also pay for a Duck Creek watershed
coordinator position. Additional project funding will be provided by Partners of
Scott County and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf.
Price Creek
Watershed Project Phase 1 ―
$366,453 to accomplish about 30 percent of the best management practices
that will help with bacteria problems and reduce soil and debris erosion. Target
practices are reducing livestock access to waterways, managing fertilizer to
stay in the soil, using terraces, methods to keep soil in place, and vouchers
for septic cleanouts, among others. Funds will also be used to provide funding
for a Price Creek watershed coordinator position.
Iowa Learning
Farms: Building a Culture of Conservation — Farmer to Farmer: Iowan to
Iowan ―
$132,636 for an Iowa State University educational project that uses farmer
volunteers in five primary soil regions in Iowa to demonstrate and discuss
innovative conservation practices on their farms that minimize nonpoint source
pollution. Among the practices to be demonstrated include cover crops, no till,
strip till, perennial plantings and wetlands.
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