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There are 12 beach advisories for the week of 7/8

11 Beaches with an E. coli-related Advisory:
Backbone Beach (Dundee, Delaware County, IA)*
Beed’s Lake Beach (Hampton, Franklin County, IA)*
Big Creek Beach (Polk City, Polk County, IA)*

Black Hawk Beach (Lake View, Sac County, IA)*
George Wyth Beach (Waterloo, Black Hawk County, IA)*

Lake Darling Beach (Brighton, Washington County, IA)*
Lake Manawa Beach (Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, IA)*

Lewis and Clark (Blue Lake) Beach (Onawa, Monona County, IA)*
Lower Pine Lake Beach (Eldora, Hardin County, IA)*
Prairie Rose Beach (Harlan, Shelby County, IA)*
West Overlook Beach (Coralville Lake, Coralville, Johnson County, IA)**

1 Beach with a Microcystin-related Advisory:
McIntosh Woods Beach (Clear Lake, Ventura, Cerro Gordo County, IA)*

1 Beach Closing:
Lake of Three Fires is temporarily closed for swimming.
A Missouri resident that recently swam in Lake of Three Fires has a confirmed infection from Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the “brain-eating amoeba.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services are testing the lake to confirm whether or not the amoeba is present. The process will take several days and the beach will remain closed during that time.


*Data from the Iowa DNR State Park Beach Monitoring Program **Data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District

 

Reviving and Reimagining Service Squad River Cleanups

This week, we share a guest post from Luke Hoffman, Executive Director of Iowa Rivers Revival. Iowa Rivers Revival has relaunched their Service Squad program to help coordinate river cleanups around the state. These cleanups not only demonstrate the success of partnerships bringing together people, businesses, and organizations united for a common cause, but they also remind us how valuable rivers are to Iowans.

People love to be on the water. Communities across Iowa are just beginning to realize that our rivers and streams are irreplaceable natural resources that can serve as a tool of economic development and talent retention and attraction. Rivers and streams also are a place that can bring cities and towns together to connect and share the love of a safe, family-friendly experience on the water. Usership of water trails has skyrocketed in recent years, and it's more important than ever to have clean water that people can enjoy safely, whether on a kayak, canoe, paddleboard or tube. That’s why Iowa Rivers Revival (IRR) has relaunched our Service Squad program to help plan and support river cleanups each year across the state. 

We held our first post-pandemic river cleanup in Marion at Thomas Park on July 11th of this year, where we helped clean up Indian Creek. Volunteers removed over 20 bags of trash and other debris and hazardous materials from the stream. This event was our inaugural Clean Creek Festival and was a volunteer-led event supported by IRR and our partners and sponsors, including Green State Bank who helped cover the cost of two local food trucks, Moy’s Food Truck and Kona Ice, for all attendees and volunteers. 

We had 10 partners, including Linn County Conservation, Trees Forever, the City of Marion, Marion Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Cedar Rapids, and over 100 volunteers attended this family-friendly event. The cleanup featured three opportunities to kayak down the stream from a launch point for folks to participate in the stream-based cleanup. Volunteers with small children hiked along the park trail to pick up trash in and around the park and surrounding area. 

 
 

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IEC's Water Matching Gift

An anonymous, generous donor has challenged IEC to come up with $25,000 in fundraising to support the important work of our Water Program. Once we raise that amount, each gift will be matched dollar for dollar!

Will you make a gift today and help us meet this match? Support work like our Weekly Water Watch emails, beach advisory tracking, advocating to improve Iowa's water quality and land stewardship, and more. Learn more at www.iaenvironment.org.

 

Celebrate summer at IEC's Lakeshore Party in Storm Lake!

Do you live in, near, or want to have a reason to visit Storm Lake?

Then join us for our Lakeshore Party in Storm Lake at Sunrise Park Shelter from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 9 for games and camaraderie by the lake. We'll have bocce, giant Jenga, kid-friendly activities, and more! You'll learn more about joining and supporting our Water Watch community of recreation entuhsiasts.

Registration is free but there is an option to partake in hosted food and beverages starting at 5 p.m. for a minimum $10 donation. All donations go to support the work of IEC's Clean Water and Land Stewardship program. You have the option to donate with your online registration or at the event.

Help us spread the word about this event by sharing this with anyone you know who also might live in, near, or want to have a reason to visit Storm Lake!

Thank you for everything you do to support our work!

Meet the 2022 IEC Summer Interns

IEC is excited to welcome three interns assisting with legal research and communications this summer. 

We brought on two law clerks, Tamia Glover and Morgan Muenster, to assist with all our program and policy work, and a communications intern, McCade Gowdy, to work on a wide range of projects across the organization.

Tamia joined the Iowa Environmental Council with the goal of expanding her knowledge in environmental law, policies, research, and legal writing.

Morgan hopes to learn more about environmental issues that she is passionate about, including water and animal law.

McCade is looking forward to learning more about land conservation and renewable energy and their importance to human longevity, as well as learning about the behind the scenes functions and impact of a non-profit.

Read more about our interns in their recent blog post.

IEC Focuses on Justice40 in Comments on Infrastructure Funding

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) developed initial implementation plans for clean water and drinking water infrastructure funding that will soon flow into the state from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Initial plans include proposed project funding opportunities, a proposed new 'Disadvantaged Community' definition, and proposed loan forgiveness eligibility criteria and allocation formula. Presentations of these initial plans have been posted online.

IEC submitted comments to the DNR focused on the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative. Justice40 aims to right some of the wrongs caused by harmful government policies like redlining, historic underinvestment in marginalized communities, and disproportionate pollution burden. IEC is committed to advocating for the vision of Justice40 in the state’s plans to spend federal dollars. You can learn more about this work at iaenvironment.org/justice40.

 

Share Your Summer with IEC on Instagram

Follow us at @iowawaterwatch

Check out Iowa Water Watch on Instagram and give us a follow. Tag us on your photos using @iowawaterwatch and the #iowawaterwatch hashtag, so we can feature your photos throughout the summer with other readers.

Photo by @deneittvdb

Photo by @bellabender

 

What's New in Iowa's Water News

Upcoming Water Events

• Pond Exploration - McFarland Park, Story Co. - July 8
IEC's Lakeshore Party - Storm Lake - July 9
Self Rescue Training - Deep Lakes Park, Muscatine - July 9
• Intro to Stand Up Paddleboarding - Gray's Lake, Des Moines - July 9
Iowa Project AWARE - West Fork of Des Moines River - July 10-15
• Recreation Renegades - Lime Creek Nature Center, Mason City - July 11
• Stand Up Paddle with the Naturalist - Gray's Lake, Des Moines - July 12
• Open Kayak - Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, Woodbury Co. - July 12
Homeschool Paddle Camp - Mill Creek Park, O'Brien Co. - July 12
Summer Skills - Kayaking - Jester Park, Polk Co. - July 14
Evening Paddle at Kennedy - Kennedy Mem. Park, Webster Co. - July 14
Sunset Eco Cruise - Rock Creek Marina, Clinton Co. - July 14
Paddling the Wapsi - Central Park, Jones Co. - July 15
OWLS: Paddling on the Wapsipinicon River - Hurstville Interpretive Center, Jackson Co. - July 15
Paddle in the Park - Kayak - Hartman Reserve Nature Center, Black Hawk Co. - July 15
• Des Moines River Paddle - Austin Park, Keosauqua - July 16

 

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Iowa Environmental Council
505 Fifth Ave., Suite 850 
 Des Moines, Iowa 50309-2317
515-244-1194 | iecmail@iaenvironment.org

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