Members of the Squaw Creek Watershed Coalition met Wednesday evening
August 13th at the Ames City Hall. Present were John Pohlman, Mike
Lazere, Erv Klaas, Jim Colbert and Rick Dietz.

Chair John Pohlman provided the agenda:

>> Is this years flooding an opportunity to advocate runoff reductions
>> and limit development in flood plains or are there other ways?

Erv reviewed with us the process which led to the current flood-way
boundaries within the city of Ames. It seems unlikely that the subject
will be visited again, and unlikely that the city will be in a position
to purchase land or easements in the upper reaches of the watershed to
help mitigate flooding within the city. Our role may be limited to
continued advocacy for the protection and expansion of riparian areas,
buffers, infiltration structures, etc, and to educating the public about
their importance.

Maybe we should each ask ourselves - Does the storm water which falls on
my property remain on my property? What can I do to reduce or eliminate
surface runoff in my neighborhood? Should property owners be assessed
storm water fees relative to the impermeable surfaces which drain to
public drainage systems and natural waterways? And what impact might
these changes have on the high levels of bacteria we find in our urban
waterways?

>> Is there renewed interest in changing the name of Squaw Creek?

It was generally agreed upon that both the creek and the coalition would
benefit from the publicity of this effort, whether successful or not.
Mike will further research the process for requesting a geological
place-name change with the US Geological Survey, and will look for
potential collaborator groups. As part of the application process we'll
need to propose a new name.

>> Do we have a fall event planned for Brookside with the bug Lady (Angela
Tague)?
>> Or should it be by the College Creek project in West Ames?

We agreed that Squaw Creek at Brookside Park would provide a higher
diversity of benthic invertebrates than College Creek, and that we could
sample College Creek near Elwood for comparison. Saturday September 6th
was the tentative date we had set with Angela, but lacking a partner
group for this event, we may wait to combine this with a larger event
highlighting the creek to be scheduled when the new aquatic center opens
next year.

>> What happened to our portage grant at the Lincoln Way Dam?
>> Are there other grants out there?

The legal agreement for sign maintenance, a requirement of the DNR
Grant, held the project up past the funding deadline. The possibility
exists that signs can be erected and the portage trail completed without
a grant, or we can reapply.

>> 5. Suggestions to stir interest and participation in our organization

In addition to the activities already discussed, the board would like to
invite John Paulin, Coordinator of Prairie Rivers of Iowa RC&D, to one
of our next meetings.

>> Is the phosphorus problem at Ada Hayden a sign of things to come?

Despite Ames' desire to grow south and west, all of the undeveloped land
bordering the park is now owned by developers. We discussed the proposed
low-impact housing development and how annexation of that land could
help protect the lake. It was noted that urban runoff can contribute
higher amounts of phosphorous than agricultural land, but that need not
be the case.

Erv related that the lawn care service under contract with the Stone
Brooke Community (south of the lake) has voluntarily chosen to use
phosphorus-free fertilizer.

Low impact developments utilize green space, native landscaping and
natural hydrologic functions to manage storm water, rather than the more
conventional (and more expensive) storm water management infrastructure.

The proposed low-impact development would result in fewer surface
contaminants than the current agricultural practices and in less
polluted runoff than a conventional residential development. Connecting
the development to the municipal sanitary system would effectively
remove household pollutants, including phosphorus, from the Ada Hayden
Watershed.

A quote, attributed to Ada Hayden, on an Ames Water Pollution Control
web page asks "Why not preserve now at a small cost what cannot be
replaced at any cost"?

>> Fall Snapshot

Our loyal IOWATER volunteers will again be called upon to participate in
the IOWATER Statewide Snapshot on Saturday October 11. Other coalition
members and interested community members are encouraged to assist. See
www.squawcreekwatershed.org/watershed.html for data from the past four
Squaw Creek Snapshots.

>> Other topics for the good of the cause

Erv commented that his sampling has shown continued high levels of E.
coli in Squaw Creek. Levels of about 10,000 cfu/100 ml were observed on
July 30.

Upcoming events of possible interest to members include:

* Sept 3 - Iowa State University chapter of Sigma Xi 'Science Café' to
explore the extremes of Iowa flooding and rainfall 7-9pm at Legends
American Grill, 200 Stanton Ave. See
www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2008/aug/cafe.shtml

* Sept 6, 20, 27/Oct 4 - NAVY DAZE - The Skunk River Navy begins it's
11th year searching for it's 47th ton of trash! "A critical aspect of
keeping the navy afloat is our "SRN Veterans Administration", i.e., the
admirals, captains, and experienced riverpersons first class who share
their expertise (and positive attitudes!) with the new students" Contact
Jim at jtcolber(~AT~)iastate.edu to enlist.
<www.biology.iastate.edu/SRN/SRN.html>

* Sept 13 - Storm Water Management Tour - Ames residents are invited to
tour storm water management structures along College Creek. Meet at
Daley Park at 9 AM.

* Sept 27 - "Ames, Be Cool" educational forum, 9am-3pm at the Ames
Middle School. The event is free and open to all Ames residents, but
pre-registration is required. See
www.cityofames.org/councilweb/AmesBeCool.htm

* October 5 - SCC Partners Fall Festival - Kicking off Story County
Conservation's golden anniversary - 3-6 p.m. at McFarland Park
<www.storycounty.com/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=407,15,6,1,Documents&MediaI\
D=6265&Filename=Fall+2008+Prairie+Horizons.pdf>

* October 11 - IOWATER Statewide/Squaw Creek Snapshot (SAVE THE DATE!)

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www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org