Conservation Connection
3 Lessons from the Iowa Water Conference
Several of our staff attended the Iowa Water Conference on March 12 and 13. The event brings together hundreds of smart, hard-working people that are working to improve water quality, restore...
Watershed Planning Update
An update on our watershed planning efforts is long overdue. Our NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant for the “Keigley” watershed project wrapped up in September of 2018. Here’s some of the...
Counting our blessings: 1,165 acres of grassed waterways
Look down from a plane in any part of the state and you will see Iowa farmers’ commitment to soil and water conservation etched into the landscape. Using aerial photos and Lidar from 2007-2010, the...
Nutrient loading is like… beer
On June 14, Squaw Creek rose to flood stage. On the same day, nitrate concentrations in Squaw Creek dropped from 11.8 mg/L to 2.7 mg/L. Does that mean that June’s storm clouds had a silver lining...
Story County Watershed Signs
Story County roads now have 50 signs marking the boundaries between watersheds. Another 105 signs label creeks at bridges. As you drive around Story County, we hope you will have a renewed...
Upgrade your sewage treatment plant, get a free bioswale!
Does the State Revolving Fund (SRF) do infomercials for its Clean Water Loans? I think they should because SRF Sponsored Projects are a classic case of "buy-one-get-one-free." We usually focus on...
The good, the bad, and the ugly of the South Skunk River
How do we reconcile good recreation with poor water quality? How can we work together to improve water quality in the South Skunk River? These are some questions I hope you will discuss with me at...
ACPF: A menu of conservation opportunities
I’ll take some cover crops with a prairie filter strip on the contour, a side-dressed nitrogen application, a grassed waterway, and riparian buffer strip. Hold the soil, please.
What’s a HUC? Understanding hydrologic units
Story County is taking the forward-looking step of assessing all its HUC12 watersheds so it has solid information for managing its water resources. Prairie Rivers of Iowa is excited to be part of...