Resources Archive - Page 3 of 4

The Rain Campaign

The Rain Campaign shares and implements a variety of rainscaping best practices in Central Iowa. These practices are designed to help control flooding, mitigate soil erosion, and maintain water quality.

Flood Mitigation Projects

This multi-phase program allows The Iowa Watershed Approach to work with Watershed Management Authorities to prioritize projects that would improve flood impact and water quality across the state.

Flood Resilience Program

The goal of The Iowa Watershed Approach's Flood Resilience Program is to make sure that communities across the state have the best resources to reduce flood risk through mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

North Raccoon Soil and Water Outcomes

This project involves connecting upstream and downstream partners to improve overall water quality of the North Raccoon Watershed through cover crops, no-till, bioreactors, saturated buffers, oxbow restorations, and constructed wetlands.

Cedar River Source Water Partnership

This project is designed to improve water quality for the surrounding area for both residents and wildlife. Through various partnerships and funding, the goal is improve drinking water, enhance wildlife habitats, and preserve land viability.

Iowa Systems Approach to Conservation Drainage

This approach is to bring innovative solutions to the most intensely drained land in the state. With goals of profitability and sustainability, the ISACD uses strategic funding and in-field practices to improve water quality, reduce flood risk, manage greenhouse gas emissions, and protect source water.

Residential
Central Iowa, Northeast Iowa, Northwest Iowa
All Counties
Environmental Health, Funding

Prairie Strips

By incorporating prairie strips of native grasses and plants into strategic locations in fields, it offers a place for wildlife to live where they otherwise would not. Under the vegetation, deep and multilayer root systems help preserve ground water and soil stability which benefits the surrounding land.

Stormwater Facts

Waukee considers stormwater as precipitation from rainfall or snowmelt that flows across the ground, typically pavement like sidewalks, driveways, and roads. This means that the water is not absorbed into those surfaces and can cause drainage and flooding issues.

Iowa’s Wildlife Action Plan

Iowa's Wildlife Action Plan is a multiphase, several year long project designed to protect and continue nature conservation. This includes a specific portion relevant to aquatic habitat and species, and how we can preserve the water they thrive in.

Iowa’s Water & Land Legacy

Iowa's Water & Land Legacy is dedicated to funding the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. The goal of this fund is to ensure Iowans have access to clean water for healthy lifestyle choices.

The Power of Wetlands

Wetlands are a transitional landscape between dryland and waterways, and are important in maintaining the two. Wetlands are known to improve water quality, increase flood storage, provide wildlife habitat, and create recreational activities.

Iowa Impact Report

The 2023 Iowa Impact Report highlights conservation related efforts across the state. It addresses conservation successes, challenges that were overcome, and new challenges presented.

Statewide Research Competitive Grants Program

The priority of The Iowa Water Center's base funding is to support various project grants. Annually, the IWC Advisory Board accepts proposals that address the most critical water issues in Iowa.

Water Trail Development

Iowa water trails are specific corridors and routes for recreational use on various bodies of water throughout the state. There are resources in place to allow outdoor enthusiasts to plan their trip as far as access points, length of trail, and difficulty level.

Clean Water Iowa: Rural Demonstration Projects

Clean Water Iowa supports Iowans working together to improve and protect Iowa water quality. They do so, in part, by supporting over 20 rural demonstration watershed projects. The 14 current projects as well as the 7 practice projects set the stage for landowners to implement conservation practices.

Landowners
Whole State
All Counties
Rural

Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation.

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

CREP empowers farmers and ranchers to re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, reduce loss of wildlife habitat and address other sustainability objectives.

Nationwide CLEAR30 Pilot

The Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers initiative offers 30-year contracts through its CLEAR30 pilot. FSA introduced this pilot in 2020, originally focused on 12 states in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay watershed. CLEAR30 is now available nationwide.

National Water Quality Initiative – Iowa

As USDA’s premiere water quality initiative, National Water Quality Initiative provides a way to accelerate voluntary, on-farm conservation investments and focused water quality monitoring and assessment resources where they can deliver the greatest benefits for clean water.

Soil & Water Conservation Contacts

Protecting soil and water resources or addressing issues such as soil erosion, fertilizer and manure management, or improving water quality can be a daunting task. State and federal agencies have many knowledgeable people and financial and technical assistance programs available to help private landowners address their concerns and meet soil and water goals.

Bioreactor Facts

A bioreactor is a buried trench on the edge of a farm field that is traditionally filled with woodchips. Agricultural drainage tiles outlet into the woodchips where bacteria convert tile water nitrate-nitrogen into nitrogen gas.

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