About the WMA
The Beaver Creek Watershed Management Authority is an entity comprised of the 25 cities, counties, and Soil & Water Conservation Districts within the 244,000 acres of land that drains into the Beaver Creek. The WMA has no legal authority of it's own; instead, it represents an alliance of the jurisdictions within it, coming together to accomplish water quality and quantity improvement goals.
WMA History
Drone image of a stream buffer in the Beaver Creek Watershed
EPA FARMER TO FARMER GRANT GOALS
A Soil Health Committee has been established to create a program which pays farm operators to try cover crops and no till while providing advising and mentoring opportunities to assist with the transition to using these practices.
Our long term goal is to help popularize cover crops and no till in the watershed because these are some of the most effective practices to reduce erosion and runoff.
An Edge of Field Committee has been established to install 25 saturated buffers and 10 bioreactors on private lands using a targeted outreach and batched installation approach.
Building on the success of the Polk County saturated buffer project, we aim to treat every suitable outlet surveyed and make installment of these practices more practical for everyone involved.
A Floodplain Committee has been established to work with landowners to find alternative profitable land uses for 100 acres of flood-prone cropland and to restore 10 oxbows.
Our goal is to restore the Beaver Creek floodplain in a way that is beneficial to landowners, wildlife, and the public while improving water quality and quantity issues.
OTHER CURRENT GOALS
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Engage in watershed-scale water monitoring
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Adopt more uniform storm water management standards throughout communities within the watershed
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Continue to search for sustainable sources of funding for the Beaver Creek Watershed project
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Utilize education and outreach to expand public understanding of water quality and quantity issues and the conservation practices we can use to solve them
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Increase access to cover crop and no-till equipment
ABOUT THE COORDINATOR
Riley Bass
Riley Bass is the new Beaver Creek Watershed Coordinator. She recently graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a minor in GIS. Riley loves being outdoors and has a passion for protecting our environment. As watershed coordinator, Riley will be working on implementing conservation practices within the watershed. If you have any questions about Beaver Creek, Riley is always around to talk!