09008-005 Hewitt Creek Final Report

(2015) 09008-005 Hewitt Creek Final Report. Agriculture and Land Stewardship

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Abstract

The primary goal of the Hewitt Creek watershed council is to have Hewitt-Hickory Creek removed from the Iowa impaired waters (303d) list. Hewitt Creek watershed, a livestock dense 23,005 acre sub-watershed of the Maquoketa River Basin, is 91.2% agricultural and 7.5% woodland. Since 2005, sixty-seven percent of 84 watershed farm operations participated in an organized watershed improvement effort using a performance­ based watershed management approach, reducing annual sediment delivery to the stream by 4,000 tons. Watershed residents realize that water quality improvement efforts require a long-term commitment in order to meet their watershed improvement goals and seek funding for an additional five years to continue their successful watershed improvement project. Cooperators will be provided incentives for improved environmental performance, along with incentives and technical support to address feedlot runoff issues and sub-surface nitrate-nitrogen loss. The Phosphorus Index, Soil Conditioning Index and cornstalk nitrate test will be used by producers as measures of performance to refine nutrient and soil loss management and to determine effective alternatives to reduce nutrient and sediment delivery. Twenty-five livestock operations will improve feedlot runoff control systems and five sub-surface bioreactors will be installed to reduce nitrate delivery from priority tile-drained fields. The Hewitt Creek council will seek additional cost-share funding for high-cost feedlot runoff control structures, sediment control basins and stream bank stabilization projects.

Item Type: Departmental Report
Keywords: WIRB, Watershed Improvement Review Board, water quality, Dubuque County, Hewitt Creek Watershed Improvement Association, Inc., nitrogen and phosphorus reduction, water quality
Subjects: Natural resources and environment > Water resources > Water quality
Natural resources and environment > Water resources > Watersheds
ID Code: 20926
Deposited By: Jerome Neppel
Deposited On: 25 Feb 2016 12:50
Last Modified: 25 Feb 2016 12:50
URI: https://publications.iowa.gov/id/eprint/20926