|  | There are 15 beach advisories for the week of 7/30 13 Beaches with an E. coli-related Advisory:
Backbone Beach (Dundee, Delaware County, IA)*
Emerson Bay Beach (West Okoboji Lake, Milford, Dickinson County, IA)*
George Wyth Beach (Waterloo, Black Hawk County, IA)*
Lake Darling Beach (Brighton, Washington County, IA)*
Lake Keomah Beach (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, IA)*
Lake Manawa Beach (Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, IA)*
Lake of Three Fires Beach (Bedford, Taylor County, IA)*
Lower Pine Lake Beach (Eldora, Hardin County, IA)*
McIntosh Woods Beach (Clear Lake, Ventura, Cerro Gordo County, IA)*
Nine Eagles Beach (Davis City, Decatur County, IA)*
North Overlook Beach (Lake Red Rock, Pella, Marion County, IA)**
Prairie Rose Beach (Harlan, Shelby County, IA)*
Union Grove Beach (Gladbrook, Tama County, IA)* 2 Beaches with a Microcystin-related Advisory:
Lake of Three Fires Beach (Bedford, Taylor County, IA)*
Springbrook Beach (Guthrie Center, Guthrie County, IA)* *Data from the Iowa DNR State Park Beach Monitoring Program
**Data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District
Note: Storm Lake experienced a significant algae bloom last week. DNR testing indicated the bloom was not producing microcystin at the time, but Iowa Lakeside Lab is doing additional testing this week. Blooms can begin producing toxins at any time so it is important to be cautious and avoid scummy areas. We will add Storm Lake to the Weekly Water Watch webpage if Lakeside Lab’s results are above the advisory threshold. |
| Meskwaki Nation Leads Creation of Iowa River Watershed Coalition Iowa River Watershed Coalition President, Jarrett Pfrimmer, PhD, shares the coalition efforts led by the Meskwaki Department of Natural Resources to form the Iowa River Watershed Coalition. |
| Water quality improvement is an aspect of natural resource management that has become exceedingly difficult to perform in recent decades. This is because water quality improvement is a topic that involves politics, finances, business, and applied ecology (to name a few) when finding viable solutions. Unfortunately, deliberations on solving water quality issues often end in gridlock as involved parties are quick to point fingers at the group(s) they think are causing the pollution, but are slow to implement productive changes to their waterways. We must remember that we all have a piece of the pie. Initiating worthwhile methods to clean up a waterway takes a monumental effort that should not be understated, and this task often takes years to put into place; however, there comes a time where more action is vital, and such is the case for the Iowa River. The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa has historically been focused on keeping the Iowa River and its tributaries clean as they pass through Settlement boundaries. The cultural significance of the Iowa River has driven the Tribe to confront the issues causing its water to degrade, prompting the Tribe to develop a water quality baseline, their own Water Quality Standards, and establish the Iowa River Watershed Coalition. The Meskwaki has kept tabs on the water quality of the Iowa River officially since 2006. The results of this sampling reflect the deteriorating water conditions that sources such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and State of Iowa have reported... |
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| | |  | Join IEC and Our Partners for Iowa Gives Green on August 4 IEC is excited to announce the inaugural Iowa Gives Green fundraiser! Iowa environmental and conservation nonprofits from all around the state are participating in an epic day of giving. Give to one, two, or all the organizations you want to show your appreciation for. Visit IowaGivesGreen.org to see the partnering organizations. Please consider supporting IEC for Iowa Gives Green to help us meet our matching gift of $2,500! You can give now or on August 4 to help us make our goal. Thank you for all that you do to make Iowa a better place to live, work, and explore! |
| | Iowa Lakes Impacted by E.coli and Algae Blooms |
| | | Share Your Summer with IEC on Instagram |
| | | | Upcoming Water Events • 3rd Annual Clear Lake Iowa Paddlefest 2021 - Clear Lake - July 31
• Waterbird Hike with Kelly McKay - Big Sioux Rec Area, Sioux Co. - July 31
• Great River Rumble - Mud Lake Park to LeClaire - July 31- Aug. 7
• Shorebird Hike with Kelly McKay - Big Sioux Rec Area, Sioux Co. - July 31
• Overnight River Float - Cedar Bend Park , Bremer Co. - Aug. 2
• Summertime Fishing & Fun - Gustafson Lake, Buena Vista Co. - Aug. 3
• Water Quality Hike - FREE - Jester, Lewis A., Park, Polk Co. - Aug. 3
• Canoe at the Park: Session 1 - Scharnberg Park, Clay Co. - Aug. 3
• Canoe at the Park: Session 2 - Scharnberg Park, Clay Co. - Aug. 3
• Family Kayaking - Sand Lake Rec Area, Marshall Co. - Aug. 4
• Nature Story Hour - Fish - GrimesFarm, Marshall Co. - Aug. 5
• Okoboji Blue Water Festival - Preservation Plaza, Arnolds Park - Aug. 7 |
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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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