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Coming together for Catfish Creek
The answer for watershed project coordinator Eric Schmechel was to join with a diverse crowd of local partners. With the City of Dubuque, Dubuque County, the Dubuque County Conservation Board, the Sierra Club and Audubon Society, Schmechel developed a plan of attack to prevent more pollution from harming the creek. The groups meet regularly as a watershed council. Schmechel said council enrollment has been steady since the project began in 2007, and the network of support surrounding him is just as good. “I owe a lot to the people on the council. They constantly bring new ideas to the table and really help me network and get the word out, not only with landowners but citizens across the county,” he said. The groups get their hands dirty, too. They monitor water quality and take part in stream cleanups, snapshot monitoring events and streambank stabilization projects. University of Dubuque environmental students monitor soil and water quality every other week in the fall. At the end of the semester, students present their results to a panel of university professors, the watershed council and the City of Dubuque. Charles Winterwood, a member of the Dubuque Sierra Club and Audubon Society, became involved with the project in 2007. “I’ve learned a lot about conservation practices by being involved,” he said. “Even the little things done to help the environment make a big impact over the years.” The project encourages urban conservation practices, like rain gardens and permeable pavement, that reduce runoff by allowing water to soak into the soil. It also encourages agricultural landowners to use conservation practices like grassed waterways, terraces and filter strips. “The basic model we use mimics how water naturally works in our groundwater–driven, historic landscape,” said Schmechel. “We slow down stormwater and let it soak into the ground, reducing runoff into our coldwater trout stream. It’s important to help planners, developers, real estate agents, contractors and homeowners learn how they can impact the creek. “ Charlie Daoud, a project partner and developer for the Dubuque company 4-All, often discusses new ideas for the project with Schmechel. “Working as a partnership might be a sacrifice to some, but at the end of the day people will see it’s not only good for the development now, but for the future.”
Learn more about the Upper Catfish Creek Watershed Project Learn more about organizing your own watershed improvement effort Future successes: learn about current improvement projects Read brochures about watershed improvement projects DNR Contact
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