06015-008 Bear Creek Watershed Final Report

(2013) 06015-008 Bear Creek Watershed Final Report. Agriculture and Land Stewardship

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6015-008 Big Bear Creek Watershed FINAL Report 2013-06-06.pdf

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Abstract

Big Bear Creek is the upper portion of Bear Creek which drains 26,734 acres and ends at the Highway 136 crossing of Bear Creek. Bear Creek flows into the section of the Maquoketa River, which is on the EPA’s 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. Monitoring by the Iowa DNR indicates that Bear Creek is contributing significant amounts of sediment and nutrients to the Maquoketa River. The primary use of land in the Big Bear Creek Watershed is row crop production. A roadside survey completed by Anamosa Field Office Staff indicated that 123,747 tons/yr. of sediment was being lost due to sheet and rill erosion only. The sediment delivered to Big Bear Creek is 24,447 tons/yr. Based on this data, 34,226 lbs. of Phosphorus is reaching the stream per year. With the added amount of sediment and phosphorus delivery through gully and streambank erosion, one can clearly see that the water quality in Bear Creek is severely impaired. The Big Bear Watershed Project will work to reduce the sediment and phosphorus delivered to the stream by 30% through the installation of practices that trap sediment and reduce erosion.

Item Type: Departmental Report
Keywords: Watershed Improvement Reveiw Board, WIRB, water quality, watershed, Big Bear Creek, Jones Soil and Water Conservation District, Jones County
Subjects: Natural resources and environment > Water resources > Water quality
Natural resources and environment > Water resources > Watersheds
ID Code: 21261
Deposited By: Jerome Neppel
Deposited On: 24 Feb 2016 14:27
Last Modified: 24 Feb 2016 14:27
URI: https://publications.iowa.gov/id/eprint/21261