Project name: Spring Branch Watershed size: 12,000 acres Year began: 1995 Year Complete: 1999 SWCD Contact: Delaware Phone: (563) 927-4590
Purpose: Improve water quality Soil and Water Conservation District(s): Delaware Other partners: Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, Iowa State University Extension, West Delaware Middle School, Conservation Technology Information Center

A four-year watershed project organized by the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District was important to the state of Iowa far beyond Delaware County. Why? Spring Branch Creek is a popular trout stream for county anglers as well as trout fishermen statewide, but beyond that, the cold water stream supplies the water to the state trout hatchery east of Manchester.

Young trout do better in water without pesticides, excessive nutrients, sediment, or other pollutants. Seven out of 10 of the 69 landowners in the Spring Branch Creek Watershed got involved and improved their operations. The amount of pesticides and fertilizers being applied on cropland was cut on half the crop acres in the watershed––6,000 acres of nutrient and pest management were applied. Other project accomplishments included conservation tillage that left more than 40 percent residue on about 4,000 acres; two livestock watering systems and 20 acres of livestock exclusion from the stream; 100 acres each of contouring and CRP buffers; and other practices.

Landowners contributed about $120,000 to the nearly $400,000 project, with other funding from section 319 water quality funds from Iowa Department of Natural Resources; $85,000 from CRP; and $14,000 from the MAX program.

The watershed project was managed by the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District, with assistance from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Division of Soil Conservation.

One in a series of summaries of watershed projects in Iowa carried out by local conservation districts, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation, and other partners.

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