Last week, various entities gathered to share a new plan for the Boone River Watershed area. Members and stakeholders from the Boone River Watershed Management Authority (WMA) held an open house at the Wright County Extension office to share the plan with the public.
The Boone River Watershed stretches just north of Wesley down to Stratford and consists of about 581,000 acres. According to the WMA literature, their organization is a voluntary coalition of local counties, cities, and soil and water conservation districts within the watershed. Their members include the city of Goldfield, plus Kossuth, Hancock, Humboldt, Wright and Hamilton counties, and all those counties’ Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) in addition to Webster County’s SWCD.
Karen Wilke, the Iowa Freshwater Specialist & Boone River Project Director for the Nature Conservancy, said the Boone River watershed group has existed informally for about twenty years. In 2019, the different local and county entities came together to establish a formalized group. Wilke added that this partnership makes it possible to fight water quality problems together as well as be eligible for state and federal funding.
The group has been working the last two years to formulate a plan that is now laid out in an over 200-page report. It establishes several goals for the watershed. 1) Ensure water quality is adequate for all uses, both within the watershed and downstream, by meeting state water quality standards and goals. 2) reduce flood risks and improve wildlife habitat within the watershed. 3) Build an aware and engaged community that works towards improving watershed management. The plan also identifies several “primary concerns” to the watershed area, including high nitrogen levels, high phosphorous levels, high levels of bacteria, erosion, flooding, wildlife habitat and recreation.
The watershed plan sets forth both short-term and long-term actions and strategies. Short-term actions for the next five years include things like education, studies, projects and establishing partnerships. The plan dictates that long-term goals will need the cooperation of landowners, farmers, and communities plus funding sources.
Adam Rupe with JEO Consulting Group who helped write the plan said it was formulated using existing data, plus data from entities like the DNR and Nature Conservancy. He added, “If the WMA adopts the plan, local entities will work to implement it. Each entity will focus on certain areas, work with landowners and continue to educate.”
Local farmer and the chair of the Wright County Soil and Water Commission Josh Nelson added that he is optimistic about the steps the Boone River WMA is taking by unveiling this plan. “Someone has to take the lead on conservation and water quality issues,” said Nelson. “It also has to be a local effort. We’re hoping this will all catch on.”
As the planning process enters its final stages, the Boone River WMA is seeking public feedback on the current draft of the plan. Members of the public are invited to share their comments and feedback with the planning team and WMA information will be used to help guide the final review and adoption of the plan. The full draft of the plan can be viewed at booneriver.org. To comment on the plan or ask questions, you can contact Dean Kluss, WMA Board Chairperson at dkluss@co.wright.ia.us
