| Working on a cleaner lake! Since 2012, over $10.7 million has been spent on water quality improvements in and around the lake. Why care about water quality? What kind of lake do you want him to have..?  Become a Member Today Visit our Website BLACK HAWK LAKE WINS OUTSTANDING WATERSHED AWARD Black Hawk Lake is the recipient of Iowa’s Outstanding Watershed Award sponsored by the Conservation Districts of Iowa and the State Soil Conservation and Water Quality Committee. This award goes to district sponsored watershed projects that have resulted in significant improvement in resource conservation problems through the watershed approach. Criteria used are the accomplishments of community, state, or other upland watershed treatment endeavors; the district’s approach to resource management; strong partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies; and the importance of the watershed in relation to community needs. The Black Hawk Lake Water Quality Project was initiated in 2007 when two local groups formed. One leadership group was made up of city, county, state and federal officials. The other was led by the ISU Extension Service and was comprised of local citizens from the Lake View area, who formed the Black Hawk Lake Protective Association. They came together to establish a direction for successfully improving the water quality of the 925-acre lake. The funding they raised allowed for the completion of a Diagnostic Feasibility Study and a TMDL was completed. This work identified what was causing the impairments and provided the actions that needed to be taken to improve water quality. After these studies were completed the groups reached out to the Sac County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) for assistance. In 2008, the Sac SWCD went after a watershed development and planning assistance grant. One goal of this grant was to complete an assessment of the entire watershed including agricultural and urban land uses. The result of this assessment was the development of a 30-year Watershed Management Plan (WMP) which spelled out the path to improve water quality within the 13,156-acre watershed. In 2011, the Sac SWCD applied for and was awarded an EPA 319 grantwhich provided funding to hire a watershed project coordinator to begin implementing best management practices in the watershed. The grant also included funding to assist farmers with a portion of the cost to implement these practices. We are fortunate that the Sac SWCD has been awarded extensions of the grant and the current extension goes through June 2021. Since 2012, over $10.7 million has been spent on water quality improvements in and around the lake. Twenty-four different practices have been implemented in both agricultural and urban landscapes which have been cost-shared by 13 different funding sources. Cost-share dollars have come from federal, state and local sources. Landowners, farm operators, residents and the City of Lake View have matched these efforts with $918,600 which represents nearly 10% of all funds expended during the project. The success in the past eight years has led to a sediment delivery reduction to the lake of 4,163 tons per year and a phosphorus delivery reduction of 8,954 pounds per year. The sediment reduction is equivalent to approximately 297 dump truck loads of sediment prevented from reaching the lake annually and the phosphorus reduction is equivalent to 32% of the 30-year goal outlined in the WMP. The Sac SWCD gives the credit to all the landowners and farmers who have voluntarily installed practices to make these reductions possible. The work in the watershed has also led to extensive water testing by Iowa State University through the analysis of multiple sites within the watershed which have different types and levels of practices installed. This testing has proven the effectiveness of implementing a variety of practices on the land. ISU plans to expand their testing into the future to gain more data and knowledge of additional practices. Since 2017, the Sac SWCD in partnership with the Iowa DNR, has hired an employee four different seasons to do a creel survey around Black Hawk Lake to see if the improvements in the watershed have affected the overall use of the lake. Those lake users who have been interviewed have consistently given an improved rating to the water quality of the lake. Overall lake use and fish harvest numbers have increased proving that the whole watershed approach has been effective. The Sac SWCD would like to thank the long list of partners who have made the success of this watershed project possible. They include the Carroll County Soil and Water Conservation District, City of Lake View, City of Breda, City of Carnarvon, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, USDA-NRCS, Iowa DNR, Iowa State University, Iowa Learning Farm, IOWATER, USDA-FSA, Sac County Conservation Board, Sac and Carroll County Board of Supervisors, the Black Hawk Lake Protective Association, and the landowners and farm operators in the watershed. The watershed project has made great strides in providing those who use Black Hawk Lake with a great place to enjoy and recreate. The Sac SWCD received recognition of its award during the Conservation Districts of Iowa virtual annual conference held in August. Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) presented members of the Sac County Soil and Water Conservation District with the 2020 Outstanding Watershed Award for improvements achieved within the Black Hawk Lake Watershed. Konda Slagle, District Secretary; Jim Frederick, District Chairman; Will Myers, IDALS-Division of Soil Conservation and Water Quality Field Services Bureau Chief; Ethan Thies, Watershed Coordinator since January 2020; TJ Lynn, Watershed Coordinator 2012 – 2019; and John Whitaker, CDI Executive Director.  |
Black Hawk Lake Protective Association
