What's the problem with Silver Creek?
Landowners are working to improve water quality in the Silver Creek watershed, located in Clayton County. Silver Creek has fallen below standards set by the state for supporting aquatic life, placing it on the state's impaired waters list.

Causes for landing on this list are believed to result from biological factors, including habitat alterations and excess sediment.
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What's being done to help Silver Creek?
The Silver Creek Watershed Project is targeting a number of upland areas to improve the watershed and landowners are using a variety of conservation practices including terraces, grassed waterways, grade stabilization structures and filter strips. All of these practices are to reduce the amount of sediment reaching Silver Creek.

When rain falls in the Silver Creek watershed, it erodes valuable topsoil and washes it into the creek. Excess sediment can reduce water clarity, damage habitat of aquatic life, fill in streambeds, clog drainageways and deliver phosphorous to the creek.

Terraces are an efficient practice in reducing soil erosion and sediment in the 17,991-acre watershed. Terraces are built around a hillside and 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. Terraces must be properly designed and maintained to combat erosion.

Grassed waterways are also 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.

Grade stabilization structures are used to reduce water flow while protecting soil from gully erosion.

Filter strips are another conservation practice being installed in the Silver Creek watershed. These strips of grass or other vegetation are used to trap sediment (and pollutants attached to it) from runoff.
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What can I do to help?
Landowners in the Silver Creek watershed can improve the creek by partnering with the Silver Creek Watershed Project.

Eric Palas, watershed project coordinator, can work with you to identify practices that can help both the creek and your property. Palas can also help find financial assistance to install those practices. Landowners participating in the watershed project can generally get improved financial assistance opportunities.

In the near future, the Silver Creek watershed project hopes to begin IOWATER monitoring.

Residents in the Silver Creek watershed will be able to volunteer and collect information on the levels of nitrates, nitrites, dissolved oxygen, pH, chloride and phosphate in the steams.

Some monitors will 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 will then 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 Silver Creek?
"The Silver Creek Watershed Project is an effort to make a good watershed better," said Eric Palas, project coordinator. "We will be able to create watershed improvements that will remove Silver Creek from the list of impaired waters. Many of the landowners and citizens are aware of the benefits of the conservation practices that are being promoted."
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Meet the project coordinator
Eric Palas grew up on a dairy farm a mile west of Luana, Iowa. Palas graduated from Iowa State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education.

Silver Creek is the third watershed project that Palas has coordinated. He previously assisted landowners with cold water trout stream improvements in the Ensign Hollow watershed near Volga and in the Bloody Run watershed near Marquette.

"I've been very fortunate to work in Clayton County," said Palas. "It has provided me the opportunity to work with many of my friends and neighbors."

For other ways you can get involved with the Silver Creek Watershed Project, contact Eric Palas, project coordinator, at (563) 245-1048 or Eric.Palas@ia.nacdnet.net
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Project partners

• Iowa DNR
• Iowa Department of Agriculture - Division of Soil Conservation
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

For More Information
Local:
Eric Palas
Silver Creek Watershed Project Coordinator
(563) 245-1048
Eric.Palas@ia.nacdnet.net
Clayton County SWCD Office

Statewide:
Steve Hopkins
DNR Nonpoint Source Program Coordinator
(515) 281-6402
Stephen.Hopkins@dnr.iowa.gov