Turkey River Watershed Management Authority Formational Meeting – March 29th
Dear Turkey River Watershed Partners:
As we approach our next year of water monitoring we are at an exciting point in our project. We have been given an opportunity to take our work to the next level.
The Turkey River Watershed was one of six watersheds in the state selected to establish a Turkey River Watershed Management Authority! This is a great honor and a useful tool; it also draws statewide attention to our watershed.
A Turkey River Watershed Management Authority will be a formal partnership established through a 28E agreement between cities, counties and soil & water conservation districts. Its formation will enable us to do many things, including secure funding for watershed planning and project implementation to improve water quality and reduce flooding in the Turkey River Watershed.
The first step in establishing a Turkey River Watershed Management Authority is to bring all the political jurisdictions in the watershed together. Although many County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, County Engineers and other partners have been participating in the TRW Alliance, we have never invited the cities in the Turkey River Watershed to participate in the discussion or planning. We have also never formalized our partnership.
On Thursday March 29th, we will have a Turkey River Watershed Alliance meeting from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the RC&D in Postville. This meeting will give us an opportunity to review our water monitoring protocol, funding and data. After a break for lunch we will be moving over to the Postville YMCA community room to have a Turkey River Watershed Management Authority meeting. Seven counties, thirty-seven incorporated cities, and each of the Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the watershed will be invited to attend this afternoon meeting from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. At this meeting you will find out more about what a Watershed Management Authority is and how you can participate.
Your participation in the afternoon meeting is crucial to ensure that your voice is heard and that the development of the Turkey River Watershed Authority is successful. We have made great progress in the past year and we want to continue to move forward. Together we can ensure that local jurisdictions continue to qualify for future watershed project funding.
If you have any questions about the meetings or the development of the Turkey River Watershed Management Authority please give me a call.
Sincerely,
Brad Crawford
Turkey River Watershed Project Coordinator
Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation & Development
Postville, IA 52162
(563) 864-7112
[email protected]
www.northeastiowarcd.org