ZERSCHLING: Loess Hills Prairie Corridor starting to blossom »<http://siouxcityjournal.com/content/tncms/live/#> [Sioux City Loess Hills Prairie Corridor] Sioux City Loess Hills Prairie Corridor Lauren Mills, Sioux City Journal file City staff member Derek Carmona, right, and Jim Redmond of the Sierra Club stand on the ridge line in South Ravine Park on Sept. 22. The ridge and some of the land below are part of plans for the Sioux City Loess Hills Prairie Corridor. 2013-08-07T18:30:00Z 2013-08-08T12:28:04Z ZERSCHLING: Loess Hills Prairie Corridor starting to blossomLYNN ZERSCHLING [log in to unmask] Sioux City Journal August 07, 2013 6:30 pm • LYNN ZERSCHLING [log in to unmask]<http://siouxcityjournal.com/search/?l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&byline=LYNN%20ZERSCHLING%0Alzerschling%40siouxcityjournal.com> (0) Comments<http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/columnists/zerschling/zerschling-loess-hills-prairie-corridor-starting-to-blossom/article_3131bb08-234f-5f30-9679-3dde03b829e7.html#comments> Talk about your transformations. Remember those stinky sewage lagoons by the regional Wastewater Treatment Plant? The lagoons are being replaced with a wetlands pond that will attract migrating birds, along with people wanting to hike through the new Sioux City Loess Hills Prairie Corridor. The lagoons were cleaned out and the sludge removed as part of the city of Sioux City’s $70 million renovation of the sewage plant, at 3100 S. Lewis Blvd. “The wetlands are still under construction, but due to the presence of water for an extended period of time, we've seen a few broods of geese this year,” said city staff member Derek Carmona. A large pond with an island in the center will cool and clean water runoff from the Southern Hills Mall area as it flows west to the Missouri River. “The use of the landscape to clear the water is an ecological feature,” said Jim Redmond, a member of the Sierra Club’s Northwest Iowa Group. “It really minimizes the amount of nitrates that get into the river. The prairie plantings will do that, too.” Last fall, a 40-acre Prairie Park south of the treatment plant was seeded. Purple cone flowers and other species are blooming, but it will take several years for the plants to fully develop. The second phase of the project calls for creating Floyd’s Bluff Arboretum, which will contain native trees in an area south of the Floyd Monument. Floyd’s Bluff was platted in 1852, with the goal of creating a town between Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff. “From what we can find out, only one cabin was ever built there,” Carmona said. “It’s kind of the lost city.” He posted a 1905 photo of that cabin along the ridge line at siouxcitygrowinggreen.com. The third phase of the project calls for the creation of the Riparian Prairie along the Missouri River with water-loving species. Riparian means the habitat along a river or stream. The city is applying for a $174,000 state grant to help pay for the project. The restoration effort is being helped by partnerships with Prairie Partners, who literally provided half the seed money for the plants, along with a $2,500 grant from Rockwell Collins. On Monday, Carmona will ask the City Council to give final approval to the prairie corridor plan. Once the project is finished in five years, the prairie corridor will cover 200 acres. “We prefer people not get in there until we have the heavy construction done,” said Carmona, the city’s environmental services analyst. “Hopefully, we will be able to open up the prairie park to foot traffic next spring.” Redmond added, “We’re glad to see development of more prairie in Sioux City.” On a related matter, Monday will be Carmona's last day at City Hall. He has resigned to move to Portland, Ore. In the three years he has worked for the city, the Orland, Calif., native has worked with the Environmental Advisory Board to bring greater awareness to recycling efforts. He oversaw the city's application to become a Blue Zones demonstration site. In March, he convinced the council to designate the compassplant, a native prairie flower, as the city’s official city flower. 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