decorahnews.com special report: Turkey River Watershed is leading the way in Iowa

It used to be that efforts to preserve the soil in Iowa were made as a way to keep agricultural production strong.  That's still a reason for the programs, but in recent years another reason has been added: lessening the impact of flooding around the state.

There have been 17 presidential disaster declarations in Iowa related to flooding since 2001.  The greatest flooding came in 2008, when Iowa suffered $10 billion in property damage and $3 billion in crop damage.

While large communities like Cedar Rapids have been greatly affected by flooding since 2001, small communities have been just as vulnerable.  Flooding along the Turkey River in northeast Iowa wiped four small communities off the map and crippled several others.  The floods wiped out roads and bridges and washed away crops.

A study of 1,500 residents in the Turkey River Watershed found that 70 percent of urban residents and 59 percent of rural landowners felt that more should be done to address flooding.  The same study found that 66 percent of rural landowners and 56 percent of urban residents were interested in learning more about what they could do to reduce flooding and/or improve water quality.

That led in 2012 to the formation of the Turkey River Watershed Management Authority.  Representatives from 23 cities, five counties and seven soil and water conservation districts along the Turkey River agreed to work together--including several from Winneshiek County.

The Turkey River Watershed group  not only has been working to develop a plan for flood reduction and water quality management in the area, it's become one of the leading examples of such cooperation in Iowa.

Tuesday: A look at how the Turkey River Watershed Management Authority leads the state of Iowa.