Some great work being done in the watersheds to improve Iowa’s water quality and the Iowa Ag Water Alliance is recognizing Iowa Watershed Award winners from Northeastern Iowa. Josh Balk is the Watershed Coordinator for Dry Run Creek with the Iowa DNR and one of three statewide winners of this year’s Iowa Watershed Awards presented by the Iowa Agricultural Water Alliance in partnership with a couple of other organizations. Josh says he finds his work very rewarding to help all Iowans.
“It’s a fantastic role working with the community to try and help get conservation on their land,” Balk said. “Because yep, I will say we all use water as a resource. From the tap that our water comes out of to what we’re utilizing in our fields to our outdoor recreation. So, finding ways to help clean it and help maintain benefits us all and we all have a role to play in that.”
Balk added that Dry Run Creek serves as a good example of some of the challenges faced here in the state.
“Dry Run Creek has two water quality impairments,” Balk said. “Its first one came in 2005 when we found that the stream biology – the critters that live in and around the stream and as well as the fish – weren’t in the quantity or diversities that a stream should be. We also found out we had high levels of bacteria so in doing some analysis and some investigations, we found out that there’s sedimentation of the stream that’s an issue as well as the pollutants that get picked up in stormwater runoff. That means working with our farmers to help protect the soil on their land is a key component but then working with our urban residents and landowners to try and help reduce their stormwater runoff or find ways to clean it is really where we’ve seen success over the last 18 years.”
For more information, visit iaagwater.org.
