Turkey River group issues flood management plan

The Turkey River Watershed Management Authority has released their comprehensive plan to reduce flooding in the Turkey River Watershed. The 20-year flood reduction plan is the first of its kind in Iowa for a watershed of this scale.

The Turkey River Watershed encompasses over one million acres and covers parts of Winneshiek, Chickasaw, Fayette, Clayton, Allamakee, Delaware, and Dubuque counties.

The flood reduction plan sets a goal of a 10 percent reduction in the discharge from the Turkey River after a 5.5 inch rainfall, as measured by the USGS river gauge at Garber.

Flooding has long been a problem for communities along the Turkey River including Spillville and Fort Atkinson.

The comprehensive flood reduction plan uses a variety of practices in a distributed network across the TRW to capture and hold excess runoff.  Said TRWMA Board Chair Rod Marlatt, "As the old saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results...and every dollar spent on flood reduction saves many dollars spent on flood recovery."

The TRW Flood Reduction Plan can be found at www.turkeyriver.org.