|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2023
 Project coordinator Michelle Turner holds watercress from Tete des Morts Creek. Photo: Jennifer Kurth, Iowa DNR
MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Kurth, DNR Water Quality Improvement Section, Jennifer.kurth@dnr.iowa.gov.
The Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the Tete des Morts Watershed Project in Jackson County as a success story.
The project, which began in 2008 and was administered by the Jackson County Soil and Water District and led by coordinator Michelle Turner, ran for about nine years.
A portion of Tete des Morts Creek was targeted for improvement after experiencing a fish kill in 2005 and being placed on Iowa’s impaired waters list the next year. The water was polluted with sediment, as the creek is surrounded by highly erodible land including farmland and bluffs, fish were having difficulty surviving and the level of aquatic animals like insects, snails and crayfish was found to be impaired.
Turner, along with partners including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, collaborated with farmers and landowners to install several conservation practices funded in part by the EPA’s Clean Water Act Section 319 grants. Those efforts included grassed waterways, streambank protection, grade stabilization structures, water and sediment control structures, terraces and animal waste systems. Five cattle crossings and 700 feet of fencing were also installed to prevent cattle from accessing the stream.
The project had a goal of a 40% reduction in sediment delivery - Turner and staff exceeded that goal, accomplishing a 53.7% reduction.
As a result of these efforts, brown trout are successfully reproducing in the stream and smallmouth bass populations are supporting recreational fishing. Aquatic animals and insects are also increasing, reflecting a decrease in pollution.
“There are some types of fish in here that we don’t see widespread and certainly not self-sustaining,” said DNR fisheries biologist Dan Kirby. “A lot of these fish are indicators of clear water because they’re sight feeders.”
Tete des Morts Creek was removed from the impaired waters list in 2022. Turner credited landowners for remaining dedicated to conservation practices even after the project, and the grants, concluded.
“Landowners have kept up the momentum of putting in conservation practices that will help water quality,” Turner said. “This has created a legacy that has continued through the years and the landowners take pride.”
More information on the project and the full success story can be found at epa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara McIntosh, DNR, at 515-725-8242 or Tamara.Mcintosh@dnr.iowa.gov.
DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions. The following list summarizes recent enforcement actions. Find the entire, original orders on DNR’s website at www.iowadnr.gov/EnforcementActions.
Consent Orders
A consent order is issued as an alternative to issuing an administrative order. A consent order indicates that the DNR has voluntarily entered into a legally enforceable agreement with the other party.
Jasper County
Rick Nikkel
Pay a $2,000 administrative penalty.
Administrative Orders
Responsible parties have 60 days to appeal the order or 60 days to pay the penalty.
Linn County
Patrick and Tracy Hammes, LLC
Comply with all laws applicable to discharging pollutants into a water of the State; identify all drains at the chemical fertilizer facility and where those drains lead and submit that information to the Department; develop and implement a standard operating procedure to prevent, mitigate, and report pollutants discharged to waters of the State, including tile lines; pay $11,339.89 in fish restitution and investigation costs; and pay a $10,000 administrative penalty.
Osceola County
Larryl DeJong
Update the facility's manure management plan; ensure the facility has adequate manure storage between periods of manure application; report future manure releases within six hours; and pay a $10,000 administrative penalty.
MEDIA CONTACT: Marnie Stein, DNR, at 515-725-9525 or Marnie.Stein@dnr.iowa.gov for Title V permits; or Peter Zayudis, DNR, at 515-201-4596 or Peter.Zayudis@dnr.iowa.gov for Construction permits.
DES MOINES – The DNR Air Quality Bureau has the following draft permits up for review. The permits help protect Iowans’ health and air quality. DNR’s permitting staff review each permit application to ensure facilities comply with state and federal air quality requirements. We encourage public comments on draft permits, providing help on how to make effective comments. Submit written comments to the assigned permit writer before 4:30 p.m. on the last day of the comment period. DNR considers public comments before finalizing the permits.
Title V Operating Permits
Title V Operating permits are reviewed and re-issued every five years. Facilities with a Title V permit have the potential to emit large amounts of air pollutants compared to other facilities. The five-year reviews are a federal requirement and ensure adequate monitoring is included in the permit. The DNR plans to issue Title V Operating Permits for the following facilities. Find permit details at www.iowadnr.gov/titlev-draft.
Muscatine County
Grain Processing Corporation – 1600 Oregon St., Muscatine.
The application was submitted to operate their existing Wet Corn Milling facility. The public comment period ends April 29.
Construction Permits
DNR engineers review and issue construction permits to facilities before they build new or modify existing sources of air pollution. The public may review the following air quality construction permits available online at www.iowadnr.gov/airpermitsearch OR through the EASY Air Public Inquiry Portal and then click the Public Notice tab.
Linn County
Vantage Corn Processors, LLC – 1425 60th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids.
Project No. 22-367, modification of stack diameters to correct the listed stack characteristics. This project is not to make any physical modification, only to correct the permits to reflect the equipment as originally installed. The public comment period ends April 30.
|
