Watershed Outreach

Contact Kathleen Chester at 641.203.0946 or by email at chester@sirisonline.com

WHO Radio Tractor Ride Highlights

An estimated 450 tractors and their drivers spent four days in the Rathbun Lake Watershed during WHO Radios 16th Annual Great Iowa Tractor ride. Shown below is one of nine groups of tractors that arrived at the Rathbun Regional Water Association treatment facility for an afternoon break. The RRWA water wagon (below) provided cooled water at each break during each day of the ride.

July 2012

A newsletter for Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Board members

Volume 7 Issue 3

Alliance Matters and Partner News

Contact Marty Braster at 641.647.2416 or by email at mbraster@rrwa.net

NRCS Selects Lower South Fork Chariton River for NWQI Program

At left, RLWA Board members Ralph Alshouse and Chuck Moore along with RRWA Board member, Randy Eddy greeted tractor ride participants as they arrived at the RRWA plant. During the tractor ride, two interviews were featured during the live broadcast of The Big Show one with John Glenn (right) on the second day of the ride and one with RLWA Board member, Chuck Moore on the last day. As a tribute to Mark Pearson memorial flags were attached to each Alliance sign along the tractor route. Information about the Alliance and RRWA was displayed during various portions of the ride.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in consultation with Iowas State Technical Committee, selected the Lower South Fork Chariton River area of the Rathbun Lake watershed as a priority for the National Water Quality Incentive (NWQI) Program. NRCS financial and technical assistance is available to landowners through the NWQI to help them install best management practices (BMPs) to improve water quality. Alliance members and other partners including the Appanoose and Wayne SWCDs, RRWA, IDALS Division of Soil Conservation, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources have also committed resources to the Lower South Fork Chariton River NWQI priority watershed. These combined resources will ensure that landowners have the technical and financial assistance required to plan and apply needed BMPs. The Alliance had identified the Lower South Fork Chariton River as a potential NWQI priority watershed. Alliance assessment activities determined that this area of the Rathbun Lake watershed has experienced a significant increase in priority land as a result of changes in land use to row crop production in recent years. A primary concern of the gain in priority land in this area is that the associated increase in sediment and phosphorus carried in runoff from this land will directly impact the South Fork Arm of Rathbun Lake. The South Fork Arm of Rathbun Lake is on Iowas 2010 Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters due to high levels of turbidity and algae. Landowner response in the Lower South Fork Chariton River NWQI priority watershed has been strong. To date, project staff has received 28 applications from landowners who are interested in applying BMPs for the priority land that they own and/or farm in the watershed. These practices will reduce sediment and phosphorus delivery from as many as 1,000 acres. BMPs to be applied consist primarily of terraces and grade stabilization structures. The total estimated cost of installing these practices is close to $1 million. The Alliance and its partners propose to eventually assist landowners to install BMPs on 2,000 acres in the Lower South Fork Chariton River watershed through the NWQI program. These practices will reduce annual sediment and phosphorus delivery to Rathbun Lake by an estimated 3,000 tons and 10,000 pounds respectively.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds visited the Kevin and Lori Luedtke farm May 1, 2012 as part of Iowa Soil and Water Conservation Week. Kevin is a RLWA Board member and a Lucas County SWCD commissioner.

Iowa Gover nor and Lt. Wallaces Farmer An Governor Visit Rathbun Lake article about the WHO Radio Watershed tractor ride featuring the
Alliances involvement will appear in the upcoming August issue of Wallaces Farmer and a feature about RRWA GIS Specialist, Tyler Jacobsen, and the role of GIS as a conservation tool is scheduled for the September issue. In addition, Tyler will be interviewed about the use of GIS in targeting priority land and will be featured soon on The Big Show.

Landowners representing the Rathbun Lake Watershed counties of Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, and Wayne presented information about the conservation practices they have implemented on their farms to the Governor and Lt. Governor and those in attendance which included IDALS,DSC Director, Jim Gillespie; Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Jay Johnson; State Conservationist, Rick Sims; and IDNR Deputy Director, Chuck Gipp.
Clarke County Rathbun Lake Protector, Jim Sullivan, (right) talks about his conservation practices.

Reminder: Request for 2012 Alliance Member and Local Partner Support
As in previous years, the Alliances board of directors asks its members and local partners to contribute $200 each to the organization in 2012. These funds are used to help the Alliance complete the organizations financial audit and conduct watershed outreach activities including our annual Protect Rathbun Lake meeting. In 2011, Alliance members and local partners contributed $2,900 to help support these important activities. The board believes that these activities are essential for the Alliance to continue to be an effective volunteer-based nonprofit organization. Alliance member RRWA matches dollar-for-dollar the contributions of other Alliance members and local partners. Invoice requests for calendar year 2012 contributions have been sent by mail to each of the Alliances member and local partner organizations. Please contact Marty Braster with any questions regarding the Alliance boards request for support.

Shown below is the progress of the Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board funding. Tables located Contact Velvet Buckingham at 641.872.1350 or by email at Velvet.Buckingham@ia.nacdnet.net on the opposite page summarize BMPs installed and load reductions achieved in the 39 targeted sub-watersheds. Summary of financial support for BMP application in targeted sub-watersheds can be found at the bottom of this page.

Velvets View

WIRB and BMP Update

Table 1: FY2012 summary of BMPs installed and load reductions achieved in the 39 targeted sub-watersheds
July 1, 2011 June 30, 2012
Practice Terraces Water & Sediment Basins Grade Stabilization Structures Sediment Basin Livestock Exclusion Pasture & Hayland Seeding Grassed Waterways CRP buffer / filter strips Fence Heavy Use Protection Areas Pipeline Tanks Brush Management Nutrient Management TOTALS CUMULATIVE (FFY 04 June 30, 2012 Units Installed 1,164,819 ft. 344 no. 116 no. 10 no. 8 ac. 1044 ac. 44.8 ac. 20.8 ac. 13,022 ft. 10 no. 3160 ft. 7 no. 280 ac. 159.7 ac. Acres Benefited 11,304 989 3561 2175 8 1044 626 37.8 Gross Erosion Reduction Tons/Yr. 17,660 1639 2200 723 84 4403 497 46 Sediment Delivery Reduction Tons/ yr. 20,128 2088 6235 5746 32 1565 510 23 Phosphorus Delivery Reduction Lbs./Yr. 91,990 8543 23,888 19,682 158 8271 2607 103 Units Installed 134,150 ft. 93 no. 18 no. 0 no. 0 ac. 0 ac. 0 ac. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Acres Benefited 1452 273 500 0 0 0 0 0 Gross Erosion Reduction Tons/Yr. 3699 633 332 0 0 0 0 0 Sediment Delivery Reduction Tons/ yr. 2830 527 1031 0 0 0 0 0 Phosphorus Delivery Reduction Lbs./Yr. 10881 1537 4105 0 0 0 0 0

2009WIRB #5 BMP ProgressDecember 31, 2014

Sandy Branch, Goodwater Creek, Hamilton Creek, Chariton River #3, Lower Chariton Creek
Practice Seeding Waterways Terraces Debris Basins Basins Structures Total Grant Obligation $6,000.00 $2,950.00 $129,000.00 $250,000.00 $29,250.00 $51,200.00 $468,400.00 Obligated-Unspent $0.00 $437.00 $0.00 $82,980.80 $0.00 $1,860.98 $85,278.78 Expended $0.00 $3,714.30 $119,075.90 $0.00 $33,926.27 $26,503.71 $183,220.18 Available Balance $6,000.00 -$1,201.30 $9,924.10 $167,019.20 -$4,676.27 $22,835.31 $199,901.04

2010WIRB #6 BMP ProgressOctober 31, 2014

South Fork Chariton River #1, Upper West Jackson Creek, Upper Jackson Creek, Lost Branch, Chariton River #6
Practice Debris Basins Total Grant Obligation $180,000.00 $180,000.00 Obligated-Unspent $0.00 $0.00 Expended $0.00 $0.00 Available Balance $180,000.00 $180,000.00

2225 ac.

4664 t/y

4388 t/y

16,523 lbs/y

Table 2: Cumulative summary of BMPs installed and load reductions achieved in the 39 targeted sub-watersheds

Practice Terraces

2011 WIRB #7 BMP ProgressFebruary 28, 2017

Upper and Lower Dick Creek, Chariton River #4, Chariton River #8
Practice Terraces Debris Basins Grade Stabilization Structures Water Sediment Basins Priority Land Conversion Grassed waterways Total Grant Obligation $78,750.00 $0.00 $23,000.00 $11,250.00 $3,750.00 $750.00 $117,500.00 Obligated-Unspent $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Expended $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Available Balance $78,750.00 $0.00 $23,000.00 $11,250.00 $3,750.00 $750.00 $117,500.00

Water & Sediment Basins Grade Stabilization Structures Sediment Basin Livestock Exclusion Pasture & Hayland Seeding Grassed Waterways CRP buffer / filter strips Fence Heavy Use Protection Areas Pipeline Tanks Brush Management Nutrient Management TOTALS
Landowners

Total Cost

NRCS EQIP/ AWEP

IDALS-DSC WSPF/IJOBS

IDALS-DSC IFIP

EPA Watershed Initiative

WIRB

IDNR Section 319

19,745 ac.

27,252 t/y

36,327 t/y

155,242 lbs/y

Cumulative (FFY 04-11)

10,789,845 $1,646,523

$2,506,743 $258,012

$1,693,201 $388,596

$57,643 $5231

$460,878 $0

$1,589,691 $114,245

$1,003,402 $282,472

$3,371,477 $491,157

FY 2012

The Rathbun Lake Special Project is a partnership of the following individuals, agencies, and organizations: Participating landowners in the Rathbun Lake Watershed; Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardships Division of Soil Conservation; Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Iowa State University; Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board; Southern Iowa Development and Conservation Authority; US Army Corps of Engineers; US Environmental Protection Agency; USDA Farm Service Agency; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne Soil and Water Conservation Districts; Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne Counties; Iowa Farm Bureau at the state and county levels; and Rathbun Regional Water Association.