Headwaters of the South Skunk Watershed Management Plan | JEO

Watershed Overview

Watershed Map The Headwaters of the South Skunk River Watershed Management Authority (WMA) recently worked with JEO Consulting to develop a Watershed Management Plan. The goal of this process was to produce a roadmap for addressing the most pressing surface water issues in the watershed, mainly water quality. Several sections of the Headwaters of the South Skunk River and its tributaries are considered impaired, with high levels of nutrients, sediment, and bacteria. This plan aims to address these issues using phased, voluntary measures.

Watershed Management Authorities have no taxing or eminent domain authority and can instead be seen as coalitions that help to leverage a wide variety of resources for public benefit. There are many non-profits, government agencies, and individuals in the watershed already working on projects including water quality sampling and voluntary edge-of-field best management practices (BMPs). The WMA, through the implementation of this plan, intends to build upon these efforts and increase communication between stakeholders in the Headwaters of the South Skunk River watershed.

Member Entities:
Entity Cities:

Ames
Jewell
Randall
Roland
Story City

Entity Counties:

Hamilton
Story

Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD)

Hamilton
Story

Text Color

#414141

Grid Layout

Three-Column

Download and Review the Watershed Plan

Report Cover Development of the plan followed an 18-month planning process that was informed by stakeholder input and community engagement. Public open house meetings were held in November 2022 to inform the public and provide an opportunity for comments. Following this public review, the plan was updated to reflect public input and adopted by the WMA on December 7, 2022.