Watershed Outreach Exhibits Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Outreach March 2010 A newsletter for Rathbun Land

ce Outreach March 2010 A newsletter for Rathbun Land and Water Alliance Board members Volume 5 Issue 1
activities completed during the first few months of 2010
Contact Kathleen Chester at 641.774.5940 include the design of exhibits for project partners and were
or by email at chester@sirisonline.com displayed at Utility Day at the state house in Des Moines,
and at trade shows in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and
Burlington. A project exhibit will be displayed at the Iowa Water Conference on Monday, March 8, in Ames.

Alliance Matters and Partner News Rathbun Lake Shoreline Protection Efforts
Underway
Contact Marty Braster at 641.647.2416 Alliance partners, the US Army Corps of Engineers
or by email at mbraster@rrwa.net (ACOE) and the Iowa DNR, are working together to install
measures that will protect critical areas of shoreline at
Rathbun Lake. The Alliance, ACOE, and DNR had
identified shoreline erosion as a priority concern in the Rathbun Lake Watershed
Assessment which was completed in 2001.

The partners determined that shoreline erosion delivers significant amounts of sediment
Signage As we move into the spring months, the focus will again be on the continued installment to Rathbun Lake. The sediment impairs Rathbun Lake’s aquatic habitat and has a negative
of project signage that was delayed last year due to weather. Half of the Rathbun Lake Protector impact on the lake’s important fishery resource. Shoreline erosion also threatens essential
landowner signs have been installed. infrastructure at Rathbun Lake including boat ramps, parking lots, roads, and campground
areas.
Media Press releases were sent to the local paper and In the last year, substantial progress has been made in installing
shoreline protection measures at selected sites on Rathbun Lake.
Rathbun Lake Protector interviews will resume on WHO
Protection measures have been completed at nine shoreline sites
Radio’s The Big Show. Bob Quinn will assume the duties
between spring 2009 and early 2010.
previously carried out by Ken Root.
Appanoose County Protector, Charles Argo, and his brother,
Shoreline protection work is currently underway at two
Rex, were re-interviewed by Bob Quinn with the taped
additional sites. Plans are to complete shoreline protection
interview to air sometime in the immediate future.
measures at an additional four sites as well as along the Chariton
River banks downstream from the Rathbun Lake dam. The
Website Look for changes to the website to be posted to the internet during the course of the protection measures consist primarily of the placement of rip rap
month of March, including Rathbun Lake Protector fact sheets and archiving outdated activities. along severely eroding segments of the lake’s shoreline. At some sites, the rip rap will be
complemented by vegetative measures.
Targeting Priority Land with GIS GIS Mapping Essential to Alliance Project
An essential feature of the Alliance’s Project Rathbun Lake The shoreline protection efforts currently underway are the
Contact Tyler Jacobsen at 641.647.2416 Project is GIS mapping, which makes it possible to target result of years of work by Alliance partners to assess, plan,
or by email at tjacobsen@rrwa.net priority land. Rathbun Regional Water Association design, and secure the resources needed for the project.
Cartographer and GIS Specialist, Tyler Jacobsen, designed
the mapping system which locates those priority acres, The ACOE and DNR have committed close to $3.1 million for
which in turn allows project staff to show landowners where best management practices will be the shoreline protection work at Rathbun Lake. The support of
most needed and most effective. Tyler has been developing maps in the Rathbun Lake area for Iowa’s Congressional Delegation and leadership at the ACOE
nearly 11 years, but his involvement with the Rathbun Lake Watershed and DNR has been essential to take shoreline protection at
began prior to moving to the Rathbun Lake from a plan to reality.
Centerville area as he helped assemble
the Rathbun Lake Watershed
Assessment while working in Council Reminder Request for 2010 Alliance Member and Partner Support
Bluffs. The Alliance Board of Directors has once again asked its members and local partners to contribute $200 each to the organization in
2010. The Alliance uses these funds to help complete the organization’s financial audit and carry out watershed outreach activities
including our annual Protect Rathbun Lake meeting. These activities are important for the Alliance to continue to be an effective,
volunteer-based, non-profit organization.
Th e R ath bun L ak e Spec i al P r oj ec t i s a par tner s hi p of th e f ol l o w i ng i ndi vi dual s , ag enc i es , and or gani zati ons : P ar ti c i pati ng l andow n er s i n th e R ath bun L ak e
W a t ers h e d; Iowa D e par tm e nt of A gric ul t ur e a nd La nd St ew ar ds hi p’ s D i vis i on of Soi l C ons er va ti on; Iow a D e par tm e nt of Na t ur al Re s ourc es ; Iow a St a t e Alliance member RRWA matches dollar-for-dollar the contributions of other Alliance members and local partners. Invoice requests
University; Iowa Watershed Im provem ent Review Board; Southern Iowa Devel opment a nd Conserva tion A uthority; US Army Corps of Engineers; US
Environm ental Protec tion Agency; USDA Farm Ser vice A genc y; USDA Natur al Res ources Conser vati on Ser vice; Appanoose, Clar ke, Decatur , Lucas , for calendar year 2010 contributions have been mailed to each of the Alliance’s member and local partner organizations.
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.
 Velvet’s View Watershed Improvement Review Board
SFY2010 summary of BMPs installed and load reductions achieved in the 28 targeted sub-watersheds
Report and Best Management Practices
Contact Velvet Buckingham at 641.872.1350 Update
or by email at Velvet.Buckingham@ia.nacdnet.net Shown below is the progress of the Watershed July 1, 2009 – Feb 28, 2010
Improvement Review Board funding. Tables located Phosphorus
on opposite page summarize BMPs installed and load Gross Erosion Sediment Delivery Delivery
reductions achieved in the 28 targeted sub-watersheds. The top right table reflects activity since July 1, 2009 and the table at Units Acres Reduction Reduction Reduction
bottom right is a cumulative summary since 2004. Practice Installed Benefited Tons/Yr. Tons/ yr. Lbs./Yr.

Terraces 122,268 ft. 1075 1789 1902 9009

Water & sediment basins 24 no. 63 81 122 616
WIRB #2 BMP Progress—June 30, 2010 Grade stabilization structures 10 no. 334 145 581 2153
Practice Grant Obligation Obligated-Unspent Expended Available Balance Sediment basin 0 no. 0 0 0 0
Seeding $4,550.00 $0.00 $549.00 $4,001.00 Livestock exclusion 0 ac. 0 0 0 0
Pasture & hayland seeding 9 ac. 9 32 13 59
Waterways $13,200.00 $437.00 $1,548.75 $11,214.25 Grassed waterways 2.1 ac. 3 10 9 34
Terraces $356,662.00 $4,461.00 $308,131.10 $44,069.90 CRP buffer / filter strips 0 0 0 0 0
Basins $43,000.00 $2,067.00 $34,408.03 $6,524.97 Fence 0
Structures $61,950.00 $0.00 $63,618.93 -$1,668.93 Heavy use protection areas 0
Pipeline 0
Total $479,362.00 $6,965.00 $408,255.81 $64,141.19 Tanks 0
Brush management 0
WIRB #3 BMP Progress—December 31, 2010 Nutrient management 0
TOTALS 1484 ac. 2057 t/y 2627 t/y 11,871 lbs/y
Practice Grant Obligation Obligated-Unspent Expended Available Balance
Cumulative summary of BMPs installed and load reductions achieved in the 28 targeted sub-watersheds
Seeding $10,500.00 $0.00 $10,500.00 CUMULATIVE (FFY ‘04-
Terraces $330,600.00 $66,663.60 $193,602.88 $70,333.52 Feb. 28, 2010)
Basins $24,000.00 $2,772.88 $883.90 $20,343.22 Phosphorus
Gross Erosion Sediment Delivery Delivery
Structures $87,720.00 $3,561.45 $32,399.84 $51,758.71
Units Acres Reduction Reduction Reduction
Total $452,820.00 $72,997.93 $226,886.62 $152,935.45 Practice Installed Benefited Tons/Yr. Tons/ yr. Lbs./Yr.
WIRB #4 BMP Progress—December 31, 2011 Terraces 834,888 ft. 8021 10,101 13,449 62,113
Water & sediment basins 171no. 520 638 1084 5213
Practice Grant Obligation Obligated-Unspent Expended Available Balance
Terraces $104,742.00 $64,189.50 $5,494.41 $35,058.09 Grade stabilization structures 89 no. 2783 1697 4439 17684
Debris Basins $50,000.00 $0.00 $50,000.00 Sediment basin 10 no. 2175 723 5746 19,682
Livestock exclusion 8 ac. 8 84 32 158
Structures $32,412.00 $0.00 $32,412.00
Pasture & hayland seeding 717 ac. 717 2934 996 4453
Basins $19,296.00 $2,974.35 $16,321.65
Grassed waterways 37.8 ac. 549 468 461 2333
Waterways $2,643.00 $0.00 $2,643.00
CRP buffer / filter strips 92.7 ac. 110 591 192 1079
Seeding $3,936.00 $0.00 $3,936.00 Fence 13,022 ft.
Total $213,029.00 $64,189.50 $8,468.76 $140,370.74 Heavy use protection areas 10 no.
Pipeline 3160 ft.
WIRB #5 BMP Progress—December 31, 2014 Tanks 7 no.
Brush management 280 ac.
Practice Grant Obligation Obligated-Unspent Expended Available Balance Nutrient management 159.7 ac.
Seeding $6,000.00 $0.00 $6,000.00 TOTALS 14,883 ac. 17,236 t/y 26,399 t/y 112,715 lbs/y
Waterways $2,950.00 $8,385.00 $0.00 -$5,435.00 Summary of financial support for BMP application in targeted sub-watersheds
Terraces $129,000.00 $44,181.85 $0.00 $84,818.15 IDALS- EPA IDNR
Debris Basins $250,000.00 $0.00 $250,000.00 NRCS NRCS IDALS-DSC DSC Watershed Section
Total Cost EQIP AWEP WPF/WSPF IFIP Initiative WIRB 319 Landowners
Basins $29,250.00 $8,404.13 $0.00 $20,845.87
Cumulative
Structures $51,200.00 $0.00 $51,200.00 (FY 04-10) $7,196,007 $1,891,683 $10,662 $1,027,829 $38,495 $460,878 $1,146,137 $424,279 $2,217,038
Total $468,400.00 $60,970.98 $0.00 $407,429.02
SFY 2010 $1,146,175 $251,495 $10,662 $101,161 $0 $0 $191,776 $189,336 $400,742