Dobbins Creek Headwaters Capital Improvement Projects Implementation

Hydrology has been Public Enemy number one in the Cedar Watershed, and Dobbins Watershed specifically. Hydrology has been the primary culprit for our degraded water quality conditions in Dobbins Creek. The District is charged with addressing the hydrology challenges and demonstrating progress for those students that make up the future of our community.
The Cedar River Watershed District is partnering with local landowners to implement strategically designed structures that will simulate approximately 30% of the infiltration, flow control and stream dynamics that existed when the land was historical prairie. Systematic implementation of practices assist the District in implementing those simulated practices effectively. The outcomes result in tangible improvements to the land and water quality in the Dobbins Creek Watershed.
This application intends to bring upland treatment through the construction of two embankment structures and the upland waterway stabilization that will treat nearly 600 acres of surface runoff. The proposed structural BMP?s will stabilize sheet, rill and gully erosion at the site and downstream. Dobbins Creek is a 25,000 acre watershed. More than 90% of the land has been tiled. Runoff conditions are often times similar to that of a paved ?parking lot.?. A 5? rain event in Dobbins is similar in practice to using a pressure washer to clean the soil off of a driveway. The result is 103 dump truck loads of dirt taken from streambanks and dropped out in East Side Lake. These projects will compliment previous work and constructive relationships. The measured outcomes may extend for generations and build much needed climate resiliency into the future.