EPC APPROVES 18 CONTRACTS TO HELP IMPROVE IOWA'S WATER QUALITY Projects will help reduce nonpoint source pollution
DES MOINES - The Environmental Protection Commission on Monday approved 18 contracts - totaling more than $3 million -
for projects that will address water quality problems across the state.
The 18 projects will help reduce the effects of nonpoint source pollution in Iowa's water. Nonpoint source pollution occurs
when rainfall or snowmelt washes pollutants from agricultural or urban areas into lakes, rivers and groundwater. Those pollutants
include sediment, nutrients and bacteria.
"Local projects like these are so important in improving Iowa's water quality," said Allen Bonini, head of the DNR's watershed
improvement program. "We hope that these projects will lead to improvements that will help us remove some streams and lakes
from Iowa's impaired waters list in the future."
The total amount of the contracts is $3,134,400. The DNR will fund projects with grant funding made available through the
Section 319 program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many of the projects will also use funding from other state
and federal programs.
Projects are listed below by region. A full listing of the approved projects, including short descriptions of the projects'
goals, is available on the DNR Web site at
.
Northeast Iowa
* South Fork Maquoketa River Water Quality Project, Buchanan
County, $150,000
* Bear Creek Watershed Project, Delaware County, $300,000
* Mineral Creek Water Quality Project, Jones County, $77,000
* Assessing, Targeting and Tracking of Impaired Watersheds in
Northeast Iowa, Winneshiek, Allamakee and Howard Counties, $127,200
North Central Iowa
* Big Wall Lake Restoration Project, Wright County, $186,050
* Burr Oak/Turtle Creek Water Protection Project, Mitchell County,
$150,000
* Clear Lake Enhancement and Restoration Project, Hancock and
Cerro Gordo Counties, $100,000
Northwest Iowa
* Clean Water - Lyon County Demo, Lyon County, $204,500
* Assessment and Management Plan for the Iowa Great Lakes
Watershed, $260,000
Southeast Iowa
* Deer Creek and North Branch Sub-sheds of Clear Creek, Iowa and
Johnson Counties, $250,000
* Lake Darling Water Quality Improvement Plan, Washington County,
$100,000
Scott Community College Bioswale and Green Roof Learning Experience, $25,000
South Central Iowa
* Water Quality in Rathbun Lake: BMPS for Targeted Sub-Watersheds
2005, Wayne, Lucas, and Decatur Counties, $250,000
* Addressing Siltation and Nutrient Water Quality Problems in
Badger Creek Lake Watershed, Madison County, $300,000
* Camp Creek Watershed Project, Polk County, $100,000
* Rock Creek Lake Watershed Improvement Project, Jasper County,
$90,900
Southwest Iowa
* Hitchcock Nature Center - Sustainable Design Demonstration,
Pottawattamie County, $63,750
Other
* Memorandum of Agreement for Staffing Assistance, $300,000
For more information, contact Ubbo Agena at (515) 281-6402.
