Management Plans

Understanding Watershed Management Plans

A Watershed Management Plan is an important tool for any group looking to improve their local lake, river or stream.

Put simply, a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) identifies water quality problems in your watershed, proposes solutions, and creates a strategy for putting those solutions in action. Watershed Management Plans take a long-term, comprehensive approach, which has proven to be successful in a number of watersheds.

Like a road map directing you from the start to finish of your effort, it helps you create a strategic, targeted plan for making changes in your watershed.

Detailed information on creating a WMP:

• Watershed Management Plan Guidebook (2.54 MB) .pdf

For more information, see the Contact Watershed Staff Page

Approved Watershed Management Plans

Map of approved plans (297.52 KB) .pdf

• Williamson Pond (10.5 MB) .pdf - rural lake, southern Iowa 
• Carter Lake (2.98 MB) .pdf - urban oxbow lake, western Iowa 
• Dry Run Creek (25.4 MB) .pdf - rural and urban stream, northeast Iowa
  • Assessment Update (2017) (5.42 MB) .pdf
  • Assessment Update Presentation (2017) (14.85 MB) .pdf
• Lake Hendricks (3.26 MB) .pdf - rural lake, northeast Iowa
• Big Creek Lake (3.79 MB) .pdf (rural lake, Upper Des Moines & Raccoon)
• Clear Lake (4.76 MB) .pdf (rural & urban glacial lake, northeast Iowa)
• Price Creek (rural stream, northeast Iowa
  • Price Creek WMP (6.95 MB) .pdf
  • Price Creek Map (188.08 KB) .pdf
  • Appendix B - Estimated Sediment Delivery (1.13 MB) .pdf
  • Appendix C - Water Quality Monitoring Sites (4.1 MB) .pdf
  • Appendix D - Landuse (1.27 MB) .pdf
  • Appendix E1 - Sediment Delivery and Bacteria Loads/Acre (3.83 MB) .pdf
  • Appendix E2 - Proposed Stream Buffer and Livestock BMPs (4.17 MB) .pdf
• Duck Creek (4.3 MB) .pdf (urban and rural stream, southeast Iowa)
• Lake Geode (2.98 MB) .pdf (rural lake, southeast Iowa)
• Silver Lake (10.83 MB) .pdf (urban lake, western Iowa
• Five Island Lake (5.14 MB) .pdf (rural & urban glacial lake, northwest Iowa)
• Black Hawk Lake (rural & urban glacial lake, Upper Des Moines & Raccoon)
  • WMP (2.96 MB) .pdf
  • City of Lake View Urban issues Plan, IDNR Fisheries In-Lake Management and Restoration Plan, & Water Quality Benefits through Management (926.04 KB) .pdf
  • TMDL Section 1 (6.72 MB) .pdf
  • TMDL Section 2 (7.73 MB) .pdf
  • TMDL Section 3 (4.3 MB) .pdf
  • Diagnostic Feasibility Study (7.77 MB) .pdf
  • Best Management Practice Targeting Plan (1.99 MB) .pdf
• Tete Des Morts Creek (4.98 MB) .pdf (rural stream, northeast Iowa)
• Silver Creek (1.96 MB) .pdf (rural stream, eastern Iowa)
• Rathbun Lake (rural lake, southeast Iowa)
  • NEW - Rathbun Lake Combined WMP and Source Water Protection Plan (13.64 MB) .pdf
    Previous Plans:
    • Rathbun WMP (220.46 KB) .pdf
    • 2013 Monitoring Summary (481.1 KB) .pdf
    • Watershed map (1.72 MB) .pdf
    • General features map (1.32 MB) .pdf
    • Sub-watersheds map (1.41 MB) .pdf
    • Land use map (2.63 MB) .pdf
    • Land in CRP map (3.47 MB) .pdf
    • Impaired waters map (2.54 MB) .pdf
    • Monitoring points map (1.37 MB) .pdf
    • Priority land map (2.71 MB) .pdf
    • Targeted watersheds map (1.08 MB) .pdf
• Don Williams Lake (8.57 MB) .pdf (lake, central Iowa)
• Badger Creek Lake (4.62 MB) .pdf (lake, central Iowa)
• Lyons Creek (4.98 MB) .pdf (rural stream, central Iowa)
• Yellow River (7.59 MB) .pdf (rural stream, northeast Iowa)
• Union Grove Lake (5.09 MB) .pdf (lake, central Iowa)
• Storm Lake (3.6 MB) .pdf (lake, northwestern Iowa)
• Silver Creek (4.52 MB) .pdf (rural stream, north Iowa)
• Hickory Grove Lake (5.89 MB) .pdf (central Iowa)
• Otter Creek Lake (8.18 MB) .pdf (central Iowa)
• Easter Lake (urban lake, central Iowa)
  • Section 1 (6.29 MB) .pdf
  • Section 2 (5.78 MB) .pdf
  • Section 3 (5.87 MB) .pdf
• Iowa Great Lakes (urban and rural lakes, northwest Iowa)
• 2018 Revised Iowa Great Lakes WMP (15.91 MB) .pdf
  Previous Plan:
  • Section 1 (6.66 MB) .pdf
  • Section 2 (6.2 MB) .pdf
  • Section 3 (6.04 MB) .pdf
  • Section 4 (6.1 MB) .pdf
  • Section 5 (7.67 MB) .pdf
  • Section 6 (3.51 MB) .pdf
• Big Hollow Lake (rural lake, southeast Iowa)
  • NEW - Big Hollow Lake Watershed Plan (2022) (14.6 MB) .pdf
• Palo Alto Shallow Lakes (rural lakes, northwest Iowa)
  • NEW - Five Island Lake Watershed Management Plan (2022) (5.14 MB) .pdf
  • NEW - Lost Island Lake Watershed Management Plan (2023) (2.84 MB) .pdf
  • NEW - Silver Lake (Palo Alto County) Watershed Management Plan (2024) (2 MB) .pdf

Basin Water Quality Plans 

• Raccoon River Master Plan (9.08 MB) .PDF
• North Raccoon River Watershed Plan (6.21 MB) .pdf
  • NEW - 2022 Addendum (1.44 MB) .docx
• Additional Basin-level plans are available on the DNR Watershed Management Authorities page

Watershed Protection Plans

• NEW - Trout Run Watershed Plan (14.39 MB) .pdf - Siewers Spring and Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery protection plan 

Other Available Plans

Watershed Assessment Plans

• Three Mile Lake (1.92 MB) .pdf - rural lake and water supply reservoir, south central Iowa
• Dry Run Creek (2.94 MB) .pdf - primarily urban stream with biological impairment in northeast Iowa (Cedar Falls)
• Eldred Sherwood Lake - rural lake with algal impairment in north central Iowa (also as "Indian Lake")