Rural leaders working with two Iowa Watershed Management Authorities (WMAs) are taking an important step to improve the state’s water quality by developing comprehensive watershed management plans. The plans enable buy-in from regional leaders and initiate efforts to understand the watershed’s current situation and identify potential solutions to quality concerns.
With support from the Center for Rural Affairs, and following a robust application process in 2023, the Middle Iowa WMA and North and Middle Rivers WMA have secured grants to begin their planning. The grants, made possible by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, provide resources for each WMA to outline the watershed’s specific needs, followed by a comprehensive planning process coordinated through local input.
A WMA is a cooperative agreement among cities, counties, and soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs), enabling representatives from each entity to work collaboratively on planning and management within a watershed. Of the 29 WMAs in Iowa, 22 have watershed management plans on file, three are in the process of forming and approving their plans, and only four do not yet have a plan on file.
The Middle Iowa WMA, initiated in June 2023, is one of the most recently formed WMAs. Covering more than one million acres from Marshall to Johnson counties in east central Iowa, the addition of this group brings the total acres in Iowa overlayed by a WMA to nearly 50%.
Mike Wolfe, the stormwater coordinator for the City of North Liberty and Middle Iowa WMA board chair, has played an essential role in laying the foundation for and pursuing the comprehensive watershed planning grant.
“The City of North Liberty looks forward to working with the other communities in the watershed,” said Wolfe. “As a city, we recognize that water does not flow along political boundaries, so we must work with everyone around us to tackle larger water quality and flood mitigation efforts.”
The North and Middle Rivers WMA, established in 2017, covers more than 610,000 acres in southeast Iowa. Tim Palmer, a commissioner for the Madison County SWCD and North and Middle Rivers WMA board chair, has been pivotal to the WMA's success since its launch.
“Receiving this comprehensive planning grant will allow our WMA to take an active role in solving issues locally,” said Palmer. “Crafting an all-encompassing plan is vital to improve water quality conditions and help control flooding along the North and Middle Rivers.”
Typically offered in a tiered approach, comprehensive management plans, when completed, outline the next steps for short-term and long-term solutions through conservation practices and project implementation. If successful, the plans serve as an essential reference tool and equip WMAs with the information needed to apply for funding to address the identified needs.
The power of WMAs lies in regional plans and approaches to progress Iowa’s water quality goals. To see completed comprehensive watershed management plans and get involved in a local watershed group, visit the Watershed Management Authority page on Iowa DNR’s website.
