What's being done to help the Burr Oak and Turtle Creeks?
Dan Bratrud, interim watershed project coordinator, can work with you to evaluate your property and identify
practices that can help both the creeks and your property. Bratrud can also help find financial assistance
to install those practices. Landowners participating in the watershed project can generally get improved
financial assistance opportunities.
Landowners in the Burr Oak and Turtle Creek watersheds can improve the creeks by partnering
with the Burr Oak and Turtle Creek Water Protection Project. The project is in its second year and has a number of
conservation practices already in place, including nutrient management, pest management, pasture management,
streambank stabilization, grassed waterways, filter strips and wetland restoration.
A popular conservation practice in the Burr Oak and Turtle Creek watersheds is nutrient management. This type of management
helps keep excess nutrients out of surface and groundwater. The result is reduced costs for landowners
because they only use the necessary amounts and types of fertilizers. Using nutrient management also creates better
water quality and is fairly easy to implement.
Pest management is another conservation practice being used in the Burr Oak and Turtle Creek watersheds. This type of
management can reduce the amount of pesticides that are applied to vegetation. As a result, water quality is increased
and is noticable throughout the watersheds.
Livestock management is a conservation practice that is working in the Burr Oak and Turtle Creek watersheds.
This practice limits livestock access to stream, resulting in reduced pollutants. Along with this is rotational grazing
and fencing which keeps livetock out of the stream, allowing streambanks to heal, and reduce streambank erosion.
Using pest management can reduce the amount of chemical pesticides that are applied to cropland, helping improve water quality and
maximizing profit.
Streambank stabilization is a method to reduce erosion by using structures or planting vegetation along streambanks.
Grassed waterways in the Burr Oak and Turtle Creek watersheds are an effective practice in reducing soil erosion. These
natural or constructed channels move surface water across the land without causing soil erosion. The vegetation in the
waterway slows the water, protecting the land from rill and gully erosion.
Filter strips are strips of grass or other vegetation used to trap sediment (and pollutants attached to it) from runoff.
The Burr Oak and Turtle Creek watersheds have installed two wetlands since the beginning of the project. These wetlands
trap sediment resulting higher quality water.
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What can I do to help?
Landowners and residents can consider installing conservation practices to control the amount of sediment,
nitrogen and other pollutants reaching Burr Oak and Turtle Creek.
Financial assistance is available, and the benefits extend beyond cleaner water - often conservation
practices can produce financial benefits, create recreational opportunities and provide habitat for wildlife.
Landowners and residents of Turtle Creek can volunteer as part of IOWATER. Monitors collect
information on the levels of nitrates, nitrites, dissolved oxygen, pH, chloride and phosphate in the creek.
Dan Bratrud, interim watershed project coordinator, hopes to start IOWATER monitoring for Burr Oak in the near future.
Some monitors also report on the water's temperature and color, and on biological life in the
monitoring area, which is often an indicator of water quality.
Monitors report their data to the IOWATER online database, where the public can view water
monitoring results from across the state at IOWATER.
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What is the future of the Burr Oak and Turtle Creek?
An increased interest from landowners practicing numerous conservation practices has the future looking bright for
the Burr Oak and Turtle Creek Water Protection Project. The three-year program hopes to return Burr Oak and Turtle Creek
to the beauty it once was.
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