What's the problem with watersheds in Scott County?
Partners of Scott County are working together with landowners and project coordinators to protect the various watersheds found in Scott County. The watershed project is an educational, informational, demonstrational project that emphasizes urban areas, but deals with improving water quality and storm water runoff throughout the county.
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What's being done to help watersheds in Scott County?
The Partners of Scott County Watersheds have a number of conservation practices for farms, country and urban living. Landowners in Scott County can improve the watersheds by partnering with Partners of Scott County Watershed Project.

Amy Johannsen, watershed coordinator, can work with you to evaluate your property and identify practices that can help your watershed and your property. Viner can also help find financial assistance to install those practices. Landowners participating in the watershed project can generally get improved financial assistance opportunities.

The watershed project began in 2002, and a revamped effort by those involved with the watersheds in Scott County is now pushing to improve the watershed where flora and fauna live.

Throughout the watersheds, a number of streambank stabilization structures and rain gardens are helping counter the water quality problems in Scott County. Streambank stabilization is a method to reduce erosion by using structures or planting vegetation along streambanks. Rain gardens were also planted to absorb water, reduce water flow, protect water quality and prevent flooding. Rain gardens are a shallow depression in the ground that is strategically located and planted with native wetland or prairie wildflowers and grasses.

Those looking to become involved in Partners of Scott County Watersheds can also attend informational forums, held every other month and can attend educational forums held monthly.
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What can I do to help?
Landowners, whether urban or rural, can consider installing conservation practices to improve the watersheds found in Scott County.

Financial assistance is available, and the benefits extend beyond cleaner water - often conservation practices can produce financial benefits, create recreational opportunities and provide habitat for wildlife.

Residents of Scott County can volunteer as part of IOWATER monitoring. Snapshot sampling occurs in 40 different locations in the county. A snapshot provides a picture of water quality at one point in time. Monitors collect information on the levels of nitrates, nitrites, dissolved oxygen, pH, chloride and phosphate in creeks and steams.

Some monitors also report on the water's temperature and color, and on biological life in the monitoring area, which is often an indicator of water quality.

Monitors report their data to the IOWATER online database, where the public can view water monitoring results from across the state at IOWATER.

Partners of Scott County Watershed Project is also taking an educational approach to improve the watersheds found in southeastern Iowa. Local schools annually take part in Earth Day, Bald Eagle Day and clean up days around Scott County.
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What is the future of the watersheds in Scott County?
The Partners of Scott County Watersheds primary goals are to educate students, landowners and citizens about techniques for watershed conservation, implement city ordinance changes that allow for greener stormwater management practices and promote environmental stewardship and ethics.
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Meet the project coordinator Amy Johannsen grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa before attending the University of Iowa. Johannsen graduate in 2007 with a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Geography. During her last year at Iowa, she worked with James Martin, Watershed Coordinator for the Soil and Water Conservation district in Johnson County. This is where her passion for watershed conservation developed.