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Register Now for the Iowa Groundwater Association Conference

Register Now for the Iowa Groundwater Association Conference

  • 10/1/2015 12:00:00 PM
  • View Count 4305
IOWA CITY – Those interested in well safety and groundwater quality should plan to attend the Iowa Groundwater Association’s fall conference Oct. 22 at the Terry Trueblood Center, 4213 Sand Road SE in Iowa City, with local tours on Oct. 21.
Former Sioux City Wastewater Operators Agree To Surrender Certification

Former Sioux City Wastewater Operators Agree To Surrender Certification

  • 9/24/2015 12:00:00 PM
  • View Count 4472
DES MOINES – Two former wastewater operators from Sioux City have agreed to permanently surrender their wastewater operator certifications following discovery by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that treatment procedures within the city’s wastewater operation were being manipulated.
Septic Maintenance Vital To Protect People And Water

Septic Maintenance Vital To Protect People And Water

  • 9/24/2015 12:00:00 PM
  • View Count 4049
DES MOINES – One out of four Iowans rely on septic systems, making proper care of these on-site wastewater systems a vital part of protecting public health and water quality.
Water Summary Update: Conditions Continue to be Drought Free

Water Summary Update: Conditions Continue to be Drought Free

  • 9/4/2015 12:00:00 PM
  • View Count 3512
DES MOINES — Continued rains have resulted in drought free conditions for the state. Streamflow remains normal to above normal in most areas and groundwater levels are slightly below normal in areas of Dubuque and Winneshiek Counties. However, the overall assessment of the state’s conditions is near-normal.
Greening Up Your Yard: What You Can Do

Greening Up Your Yard: What You Can Do

  • 8/4/2015 11:07:00 AM
  • View Count 9922
Climate change, greenhouse gases, carbon footprints, water quality— the problems are huge and the impact we can deliver seems minimal. But, you can do something simple—cut back on yardwork. Most people don’t think about the carbon footprint left by their lawns and lawn care. Green is green, right?
Create a Cleaner, Safer House with DIY Cleaners

Create a Cleaner, Safer House with DIY Cleaners

  • 7/17/2015 5:59:00 AM
  • View Count 12402
Sure, that spray cleaner can cut through grease and grime quickly. But did you know it might be a household hazardous material? Household hazardous materials (HHMs) are found in nearly every home, under sinks, and in closets, basements and garages. They may make chores easier, but they could also pose a threat to your family’s health, safety and the environment if used or disposed improperly.
Coralville Makes Green Strides for Water Quality

Coralville Makes Green Strides for Water Quality

  • 7/15/2015 9:03:00 AM
  • View Count 6113
Generally, Coralville Lake, just upstream from its namesake town, does its job as a flood control reservoir. But the lake was no match for the floods of 1993 and 2008, creating millions of dollars in damages for the eastern Iowa town.
Rediscover the Joy of Creek Walking

Rediscover the Joy of Creek Walking

  • 6/3/2015 4:55:00 AM
  • View Count 20655
The pair of soft, blue eyes peered deep into the gin-clear depths of the tiny pool, straining to make out anything that wasn’t rock or rubble. Not even a decade old, those eyes were young and fresh and untested—yet the vibrant, cheeky 10-year-old worked them like a hawk eyeing its next meal. And with a quick thrust of her net into the knee-deep water, she brought up her “treasures” from the deep.
Avoid These Top Tree Killing Practices

Avoid These Top Tree Killing Practices

  • 6/2/2015 10:47:00 AM
  • View Count 12975
Trees add beauty, increase property value, clean the air, provide shade and create habitat. Get the most from your leafy wonders with these simple steps to ensure your trees avert an early demise.
Build Rain Gardens to Hold Water, Beautify Yards, Help Wildlife [Tutorial]

Build Rain Gardens to Hold Water, Beautify Yards, Help Wildlife [Tutorial]

  • 5/22/2015 10:54:00 AM
  • View Count 13666
While rain storms are natural, storm water runoff is not. Flowing from rooftops and surging out downspouts, across the yard, into the street and down the storm sewer untreated, rainfall is routed to the nearest stream or lake. Runoff is often polluted. In its rough and tumble downhill journey, rain picks up heavy metals, oils, fertilizers, soils, sediment, and pesticides.
Tutorial: Learn How to Compost at Home

Tutorial: Learn How to Compost at Home

  • 5/13/2015 5:54:00 AM
  • View Count 18977
Yard waste is the second major waste generated in cities and towns – and since it’s illegal to place yard waste in the trash in Iowa, it needs to be composted. While you can send off yard waste for municipal composting, it’s also easy to do in your own backyard, saving you money and helping your yard and garden. Use this tutorial from DNR staffer Karen Grimes to start your own compost heap at home.
7 Native, Easy to Care For Plants for Your Yard

7 Native, Easy to Care For Plants for Your Yard

  • 5/12/2015 11:15:00 AM
  • View Count 23192
Natives are resilient and pest resistant, take less watering and care, and will reward you with an April through October blooming season. With some 250 native prairie plants (translate prairie as “sun-loving”) to choose from, which plants are the must-haves for the average garden?
14 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

14 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

  • 5/1/2015 8:28:00 AM
  • View Count 19848
Paper, sure. Plastic, cardboard, of course. But before you toss those old shingles or paint, or dump a box of Styrofoam packing peanuts in the trash, you’ll want to look up where you can recycle them.
Viking Lake Work Has Lasting Effect on Fishing, Water Quality

Viking Lake Work Has Lasting Effect on Fishing, Water Quality

  • 3/6/2015 6:35:00 AM
  • View Count 7424
Once so thick with algae that the water looked more like green paint than water, southwest Iowa’s Viking Lake has been on the up and up since a major watershed improvement there wrapped up in 2009.Five years of monitoring Viking Lake in southwest Iowa reveals the lake is clean enough to be removed from the list of Iowa impaired waters for algae growth.
Wetlands Project Sinks Hole-in-one

Wetlands Project Sinks Hole-in-one

  • 3/5/2015 4:35:00 AM
  • View Count 6567
The cackle of pheasants has returned along the north and west sides of Okoboji View Golf Course in Spirit Lake after a major watershed improvement project created wetlands and native prairie on 350 acres.
Central Park Lake Poised for Return

Central Park Lake Poised for Return

  • 2/20/2015 4:56:00 AM
  • View Count 6202
Central Park Lake encompasses only 25 acres, but the 297-acre park is a popular recreation destination in Jones County, despite the lake’s listing as “impaired” due to excess algae, bacteria and pH.
Rice Lake Returns

Rice Lake Returns

  • 2/13/2015 9:03:00 AM
  • View Count 9661
The topic was lake restoration, but in 2009, the small group of lake users living near Rice Lake wasn’t ready to discuss pulling the plug on the 1,000-acre shallow lake straddling the Worth-Winnebago county line.
Prairie Strips Help Iowa Farmers, Land and Water

Prairie Strips Help Iowa Farmers, Land and Water

  • 2/4/2015 9:47:00 AM
  • View Count 6401
“Conservation with a purpose” is how Tim Smith describes his newest farming venture that builds on past work to protect water quality on his Wright County farm.
Trout in the Classroom

Trout in the Classroom

  • 1/27/2015 4:52:00 AM
  • View Count 6133
Some classes have a pet hamster or guinea pig. But some northeast Iowa classes have trout—and they’re raising them from eggs and releasing them in Iowa streams. A national Trout Unlimited program, Trout in the Classroom, allows students to raise fish and learn about their habitat and the importance of clean water.

Cooperation builds lasting results at North Bear Creek

  • 1/26/2015 5:48:00 AM
  • View Count 5662
When the hit film A River Runs Through It was released in 1992, it helped rejuvenate local economies and waterways in northeast Iowa, as the beauty and skill showcased so vividly in the film helped inspire more than half a million trips to trout streams, injecting more than $14 million into Iowa’s economy every year.
Create Your Own Gift Bags from Stunning Iowa Outdoors Photos

Create Your Own Gift Bags from Stunning Iowa Outdoors Photos

  • 12/12/2014 10:22:00 AM
  • View Count 8137
Expert crafter Shelene Codner wanted a way to show off the fantastic nature photography featured in the calendar issue of Iowa Outdoors magazine - so she turned the pages of last year's calendar into reusable gift bags, perfect for the holidays or any gift-giving occasion.
How to Build Your Own Rain Barrel, Step-by-Step

How to Build Your Own Rain Barrel, Step-by-Step

  • 9/2/2014 8:14:00 AM
  • View Count 93087
If you’re looking for a simple, cost-effective way to water your plants and garden without connecting the hose to the tap, a rain barrel can help you collect and recycle rainwater.
Reuse and upcycle your old stuff with these simple projects

Reuse and upcycle your old stuff with these simple projects

  • 8/7/2014 9:01:00 AM
  • View Count 13034
Not going to watch those old 1980s VHS tapes? Have some unworn t-shirts lying around? Put them to good (and stylish) use with these simple projects from the DNR's Reusapalooza at the Iowa State Fair.
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