Iowa Watershed Approach for Urban & Rural Resilience
Iowa Watershed Approach for Urban & Rural Resilience
From 2011 to 2013, eight Presidential Disaster Declarations (encompassing 73 of 99 Iowa counties and more than 70 percent of the state) were issued in response to extreme flood events. EOR developed a series of five Programmatic Environmental Assessments in consultation with the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security for nine of the watershed initiatives being developed for the Iowa Watershed Approach for Urban and Rural Resilience initiative.
The Iowa Watershed Approach, which is designed to fund cutting-edge projects addressing unmet needs from past disasters while addressing potential vulnerabilities from future disasters. The program being funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's National Disaster Resilience Competition and administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The Programmatic Environmental Assessments identify concerns at the watershed-scale that require additional, site-specific attention.
Client Benefits
- The Programmatic Environmental Assessments serve as a reference document to allow the efficient completion of Environmental Review Records for the individual actions developed by specific watershed projects under the Iowa Watershed Approach.
- The Programmatic Environmental Assessments streamlined the NEPA review process by identifying areas of concerns needing greater review while eliminating issues that did not need further analysis.
Related Projects
Addressing Karst Geology
Improvements to a development pond located in challenging Karst region of southeastern Minnesota.
Athletic Field Water Reuse
Retrofit system saves School District several thousands of dollars per year in irrigation costs while contributing to improved water quality for nearby lake.
Bixby Park Wetland
Wetland restoration reduced phosphorus loading and improved water quality in Parley Lake.