IA DNR: Clean Water Starts With You: Watershed

Littlefield Lake's problems stem from excess soil and nutrients (like phosphorus) in the lake which wash in because of erosion. The excess soil and phosphorus lead to turbid (cloudy) water and algae blooms, which affect recreation.

What's being done to help the lake?

The Littlefield Lake Watershed Project, which came together in April 2008, wants to educate landowners in the watershed and help them add conservation practices to their land. Conservation practices are ways to manage the land for better water quality. The project wants to work with landowners to add practices that include:

Terraces- Terraces built around a hillside either slow runoff and guide it to the bottom of the hill, or collect runoff and store it until the runoff can be absorbed by the ground.
Grassed waterways- The vegetation in these natural or artificial water channels slows the speed of surface water, protecting the land from erosion.
Grade stabilization structures- These structures, built across water channels, reduce water flow and slow gully erosion. They can be natural, like ponds, or artificial, like dams.
Buffer and filter strips- Strips of grass or other vegetation trap sediment and pollutants and slow water runoff to reduce erosion.

What can you do to help?

There are many ways, large and small, that you can help with the Littlefield Lake Watershed Project. You can volunteer with the project or add new conservation practices on your land. David Brand, project coordinator, can help landowners decide which projects would work best for their land and the lake. Financial assistance may be available for those looking to begin these projects. Contact Brand at (712) 563-4248 or David.Brand@ia.nacdnet.net to learn more about how you can help.

What is the future of Littlefield Lake?

The Littlefield Lake Watershed Project aims to reduce soil reaching the lake by 60 percent, or 133 tons per year-which is equal to eight dump truck loads of soil. It also plans to reduce phosphorus reaching the lake by 37 percent, or 815 pounds, per year. By adding conservation practices to their land, landowners can help make the water clear and improve recreation in the lake. Working together with the project, residents can ensure that future generations will have a great place to swim, fish and boat.

Meet the project coordinator

David Brand, project coordinator for the Littlefield Lake Watershed Project, was born and raised in Ringgold County, Iowa. Working for the National Resource Conservation Service in Audubon for the past 15 years, Brand has worked around Littlefield Lake and observed its need for water quality improvement.
Brand, who retired from NRCS in January 2008, began coordinating the Littlefield Lake Watershed project in April 2008.
"Basically, we are trying to keep the soil on the ground and out of the water," said Brand. "We need to improve the quality of the water for recreation purposes."

Brand attended Mount Ayr high school, and after serving two years in the U.S. Army, he received a degree in Range and Forest Management from Colorado State University. He worked for the NRCS for 31 years, serving in branches in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa.

In addition to his work with the Littlefield Lake project, Brand is also working to improve the Prairie Rose Lake watershed in Shelby County.

Project partners

For More Information
Local:
David Brand
Littlefield Lake Watershed Project Coordinator
(712) 563-4248
David.Brand@ianacdnet.net
Audubon County NRCS Office

Statewide:
Steve Hopkins
DNR Watershed Improvement Program Grants Coordinator
(515) 281-6402
Stephen.Hopkins@dnr.iowa.gov

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