Surveys being sent out to landowners in the Upper Iowa River Watershed

If you own property in the Upper Iowa River Watershed, you may find a survey in your mailbox this summer.

The survey is part of the planning process the Upper Iowa River Watershed Management Authority has undertaken in an effort to reduce the risk of flooding and improve water quality in the watershed.

The Upper Iowa River WMA is a formal partnership between the Allamakee, Howard and Winneshiek County Boards of Supervisors and Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and the Cities of Decorah and Lime Springs.  It is working with Northeast Iowa RC&D to create a 20-year plan for the watershed. The first step in the planning process is learning about the watershed and the people who live in it. To that end, Northeast Iowa RC&D has begun evaluating land use, urban runoff, and other characteristics of the watershed. The survey, sent to 1,300 households, is one way landowners can give input to the plan.

"Input from people who live and own land in the watershed is critical to creating an effective plan," said Northeast Iowa RC&D Watershed Outreach Coordinator Megan Buckingham.  "Responses to the survey will help us understand landowners' experiences with water and flooding. And since participation in watershed projects is voluntary, it will gauge urban and rural landowners' interest in participating in storm water management or targeted conservation practices."

To learn more about the Upper Iowa River Watershed, visit www.upperiowariver.org or contact Megan at Northeast Iowa RC&D at 563-864-7112.