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DNR News Releases

Archive by tag: riverReturn

Coal spilled from train derailment south of Lansing

• 6/1/2022 3:54:00 PM
• View Count 1845

LANSING—A Canadian Pacific train derailed about 6:40 a.m. today (Wednesday), spilling coal into the Mississippi River.

Treated, but not disinfected, wastewater being released in Eldora

• 6/1/2022 6:44:00 AM
• View Count 1724

ELDORA—A leak in a pipeline leaving the Eldora wastewater treatment plant caused treated wastewater to flow into the Iowa River recently.

Boaters in Western Iowa urged to use caution due to low water conditions

• 5/24/2022 3:27:00 PM
• View Count 1597

Water levels in oxbow lakes adjacent to the Missouri River are lower than normal going into the summer due to consecutive years of abnormally dry conditions in western Iowa and historic low flows in the Missouri River this past winter. Access to these lakes may be compromised.

Popular central Iowa paddling destination closed

• 5/10/2022 1:52:00 PM
• View Count 2058

This week’s warm weather is perfect for paddlers to get out on rivers. Water recreationists should be aware of bridge construction projects across Iowa.

State record smallmouth buffalo caught in lower Wapsipinicon River

• 4/12/2022 3:31:00 PM
• View Count 1088

John Dirks, from Anamosa, caught a 43 pound smallmouth buffalo on December 1, 2021 in the lower Wapsipinicon River. 

Wastewater discharge south of Sioux Center

• 3/16/2022 2:58:00 PM
• View Count 1113

SIOUX CENTER—An unknown amount of wastewater from a packing plant reached a tributary of the West Branch of the Floyd River south of Sioux Center.

Project AWARE cleanup to take on the West Fork of the Des Moines River Water Trail

• 3/15/2022 2:32:00 PM
• View Count 1788

Volunteers have the opportunity to spend their summer vacation cleaning up, learning about and exploring 61 miles of the West Fork of the Des Moines River from Petersburg, Minn., to near West Bend, Iowa, from July 10 to 15.

DNR investigating manure spill near Rock Valley in Lyon County

• 2/8/2022 1:33:00 PM
• View Count 790

ROCK VALLEY - DNR staff from the Spencer field office are investigating a manure spill about four miles north of Rock Valley.

Bald eagle found shot in Cedar Rapids, public help sought to find person responsible

• 2/3/2022 2:44:00 PM
• View Count 3660

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking for help to identify the person responsible for shooting a bald eagle that was discovered in southeast Cedar Rapids on Jan. 9.

Missouri and Big Sioux rivers paddlefish fishing season opens Feb. 1

• 1/18/2022 2:15:00 PM
• View Count 1548

The paddlefish snagging season on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers opens Feb. 1 and goes through April 30 (sunrise to sunset).

Iowa is hosting a large population of bald eagles this winter

• 1/11/2022 2:29:00 PM
• View Count 3588

Iowa is in the middle of its annual bald eagle population survey and although the numbers are still coming in, all indications point to 2022 being a really good year for eagles wintering in Iowa.

Missouri and Big Sioux River paddlefish license on sale Dec. 15

• 12/7/2021 1:52:00 PM
• View Count 2113

Iowa anglers can buy the Missouri and Big Sioux River paddlefish license and tags starting Dec. 15 through Jan. 7.

Train derailment into Mississippi River near Montrose

• 11/15/2021 8:17:00 AM
• View Count 2149

MONTROSE, IOWA -- At approximately 11:50 PM on November 13, 2021 a train collided with a barge that had been parked along the shore of the Mississippi River near Montrose in Lee County, Iowa. The southbound train operated by BNSF hit the stationary barge, derailing two locomotives and overturning several coal cars between the main line and side track. Several hundred gallons of diesel was released on the ballast material, and was seeping into the Mississippi River from the locomotive fuel tank. A number of coal ca...

Enjoy Iowa’s natural landscapes fishing rivers and streams this fall

• 10/26/2021 1:02:00 PM
• View Count 1469

Fall is a great time to catch fish in Iowa’s rivers. A unique angling challenge is hidden around every bend.

Sny Magill boat ramp closed until Oct. 9

• 9/28/2021 1:44:00 PM
• View Count 1245

The Sny Magill boat ramp on Pool 10 of the Mississippi River is closed until Oct. 9  to repair the concrete under the railroad underpass.

Lansing Village Creek boat ramp dredging delayed until Oct. 1

• 9/28/2021 1:41:00 PM
• View Count 1381

Lansing, Iowa – Lansing Village Creek boat channel dredging scheduled to begin Sept. 15 has been delayed to Oct. 1, and is expected to continue through Nov. 1. The boat ramp will remain open, but space will be limited. 

Hayesville Bend Wildlife Area packs a lot of diversity into its 540 acres

• 9/28/2021 1:38:00 PM
• View Count 1656

Delta, Iowa - Hayesville Bend Wildlife Area is a mix of upland, floodplain timber, wetland and upland timber, in an oddly shaped 540-acre public area, four miles south of Delta in southwest Keokuk County.

The Iowa River Corridor is winning the battle over reed canary grass

• 9/21/2021 2:16:00 PM
• View Count 1631

Born out of the historic flood of 1993, the Iowa River Corridor is a mix of federal and state public land, stretching from Marengo in the east, to west of Chelsea covering more than 15,100 acres of the Iowa River floodplain.

Public invited to Sept. 15 open house on current and future recreation projects

• 9/13/2021 1:50:00 PM
• View Count 1237

WEST DES MOINES - An open house to discuss current and future projects in the neighborhood of Walnut Woods State Park, Raccoon River Park and Purple Martin Water Resource Area is set for Sept. 15, from 6-8 p.m., at Walnut Woods State Park Lodge, in West Des Moines.

Two seriously injured in boating incident on Mississippi River in Jackson County

• 9/7/2021 9:59:00 AM
• View Count 1551

SABULA, Iowa – Iowa DNR Conservation Officers responded to a boat crash on the Mississippi River on Sunday morning that left two people with serious injuries.

DNR still seeking public’s assistance in tubing incident

• 8/22/2021 4:14:00 PM
• View Count 1558

LINN COUNTY, Iowa – The DNR Law Enforcement Bureau continues to seek the public’s assistance with any tips or information related to a tubing incident on Cedar River at Mohawk Park on August 15, 2021.

Comments on the Cedar River Water Trail Plan accepted until Oct. 1

• 7/20/2021 11:41:00 AM
• View Count 1436

Osage, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Mitchell County Conservation Board are accepting public comments that will be included in the upcoming Cedar River Water Trail Plan.

DNR checking diesel fuel cleanup in Tarkio River

• 7/19/2021 1:19:00 PM
• View Count 1096

ELLIOTT - Sunday night, a broken axle caused a truck driver to lose control and enter the Tarkio River about 3 miles east of Elliott in Montgomery County.

Flash flooding causing closures at Yellow River State Forest

• 7/1/2021 1:33:00 PM
• View Count 1836

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, Iowa – Recent heavy rainfall has caused some significant road damage at Yellow River State Forest.

Iowa’s Scholastic Clay Target Program crowns youth sporting clays champions

• 6/23/2021 7:07:00 AM
• View Count 1706

Athletes from 27 Iowa teams participated in the 2021 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) Sporting Clays Championships held June 18-20 at Highland Hideaway Hunting near Riverside.

Puccoon Prairie shines at Chachaqua Bottoms

• 6/1/2021 12:30:00 PM
• View Count 1772

About a quarter mile off county road NE 112th Street sits a 10-acre sand prairie tucked into the southeast part of the roughly 11,500-acre Chichaqua Bottoms complex in northeast Polk County.

Quick action helps prevent potential fish kill in Crawford County

• 5/28/2021 2:26:00 PM
• View Count 1048

SCHLESWIG—About 6:30 p.m. Thursday, a transport company reported a fertilizer spill about three miles southwest of Schleswig. DNR received three other calls about the incident.

DNR, city and county work to find source of Shelby County diesel spill

• 5/28/2021 2:21:00 PM
• View Count 951

HARLAN: DNR staff responded to a diesel spill in Harlan Thursday, meeting with local officials as they worked to track down its source.

Boaters encouraged to avoid Heytman’s Landing and Village Creek boat ramps on Mississippi River

• 5/25/2021 12:12:00 PM
• View Count 2679

LANSING – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) urges boaters to use caution at the Heytman’s Landing and Lansing Village Creek boat accesses with lower water predicted through the week

Pleasant Valley man charged in fatal LeClaire Boat Crash

• 5/5/2021 7:43:00 AM
• View Count 2700

LeClaire, IOWA -- DNR Conservation Officers charged James Thiel, 44, of Pleasant Valley, with Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Use of a Watercraft among other charges relating to the August 16, 2020 fatal boat crash on the Mississippi River that killed Anita Pinc, 52, of Moline, IL, and Craig Verbeke, 61, of Moline, IL 

New law impacts boat operators on federal waterways beginning April 1

• 3/30/2021 2:38:00 PM
• View Count 4296

A new federal law goes into effect on April 1, that requires the operator of a boat with an installed Engine Cut-Off Switch (ECOS) to use the ECOS link while operating on all federally navigable waterways.

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

• 3/25/2021 8:33:00 AM
• View Count 1983

SWISHER - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Iowa River Wildlife Unit in Linn, Johnson, Benton, Iowa, Tama, Cedar and Mahaska counties. 

Proposed Boone River water trail extension topic of Feb. 10 virtual public meeting

• 2/2/2021 1:22:00 PM
• View Count 1688

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Boone River Watershed Management Authority are hosting a virtual public meeting on Feb. 10, at 6 p.m., to discuss a proposal to extend the Boone River Water Trail from its current position in Webster City north to the Wright-Hancock County line.

Iowa DNR accepting comments on proposed catfish regulations and paddlefish licensing changes on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers

• 1/26/2021 12:05:00 PM
• View Count 3686

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting comments on proposed changes to catfish bag and length limits and paddlefish licensing on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers, through Feb. 15. 

Missouri and Big Sioux rivers paddlefish fishing season opens Feb. 1

• 1/20/2021 6:43:00 AM
• View Count 2319

The paddlefish snagging season on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers opens Feb. 1 and goes through April 30 (sunrise to sunset).

Missouri and Big Sioux River paddlefish license on sale Dec. 15

• 12/8/2020 7:19:00 PM
• View Count 2890

Iowa anglers can buy the Missouri and Big Sioux River paddlefish license and tags starting Dec. 15 through Jan. 7.

A clearer outlook for Silver Creek thanks to local watershed improvement efforts

• 12/4/2020 8:42:00 AM
• View Count 2379

MONONA - Silver Creek, a warm water creek winding through Clayton County, had a muddy outlook until a community-led effort helped clear things up.

Fall is a great time to catch fish in Iowa’s rivers

• 10/27/2020 2:23:00 PM
• View Count 2483

Enjoy Iowa’s natural landscapes fishing Iowa’s rivers and streams this fall. A unique angling challenge is hidden around every bend.

Online information available for Chariton River Water Quality Improvement Plan

• 9/25/2020 1:40:00 PM
• View Count 1503

CENTERVILLE – Iowans interested in the results of a DNR study to improve water quality in the Chariton River can view a presentation on the Iowa DNR’s YouTube channel.

Fishing regulations relaxed at two oxbows along the Missouri River due to low water

• 9/21/2020 6:33:00 AM
• View Count 1708

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has relaxed the fishing regulations at Upper Decatur/Tieville Bend and Louisville Bend in Monona County. Low water levels in the Missouri River have trapped fish in these areas and water levels are continuing to drop.

Landscapes, views set Upper Iowa River Chimney Rocks Wildlife Area apart

• 9/15/2020 1:26:00 PM
• View Count 2446

DECORAH - Nestled in the heart of Bluff Country in Winneshiek County, the Upper Iowa River Chimney Rocks Wildlife Area offers visitors scenic views of its namesake chimney rocks, reconstructed prairie and a high-quality trout stream emptying into the legendary Upper Iowa River.

Feedback requested on information gathered for lower Missouri River flood risk management project

• 9/10/2020 11:55:00 AM
• View Count 1930

DES MOINES -- The Iowa DNR and partner agencies are requesting Iowans’ review of information gathered from a series of public meetings held this summer to identify areas prone to flooding along the Missouri River in Iowa.

DNR investigating a boating incident that injured two

• 9/7/2020 7:27:00 PM
• View Count 1924

CLAYTON COUNTY, Iowa – DNR Conservation Officers responded to a boating incident that left two people injured on around 4:30pm Saturday, September 5, 2020 on the Mississippi River in Clayton County.

Upcoming meeting to focus on solutions for lower Missouri River flood risk management

• 8/20/2020 12:26:00 PM
• View Count 1429

DES MOINES -- An upcoming stakeholder meeting will help identify and prioritize problem areas along the Missouri River as part of a larger multi-state effort to address flooding in the lower Missouri River basin. 

Second person dies in boat crash on Mississippi River

• 8/19/2020 1:04:00 PM
• View Count 4122

LECLAIRE, Iowa – A second person has died from injuries sustained in a boat crash on the Mississippi River on Sunday, August 16.

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