What's being done to help White Oak Lake?
The White Oak Lake Watershed Project has a number of conservation practices for farming and country living. Landowners in the White Oak Lake watershed can improve the lake by partnering
with the White Oak Lake Watershed Project.
Matt Lechtenberg, watershed project coordinator, can work with you to evaluate your property and identify
practices that can help both the lake and your property. Lechtenberg can also help find financial assistance
to install those practices. Landowners participating in the watershed project can generally get improved
financial assistance opportunities.
The White Oak Lake Watershed Project began in 2006 and may be completed in 2008.
The goal is reachable as a number of conservation practices, such as grade stabilization structures, terraces and grassed
waterways, are located throughout the watershed to counter excess sediment reaching White Oak Lake.
Grade stabilization structures reduce water flow and slow erosion by being built across a grass waterway or other
gullies.
Terraces are an efficient practice in reducing soil erosion and sediment in the
600-acre watershed. Terraces are built around a hillside and either slow runoff and guide it to the bottom of the hill
or collect runoff and store it until the runoff can be absorbed by the ground. Terraces must be properly designed
and maintained to combat erosion.
Grassed waterways in the White Oak Lake watershed are an effective practice in reducing soil erosion. These
natural or constructed channels move surface water across the land without causing soil erosion. The vegetation in the
waterway slows the water, protecting the land from rill and gully erosion.
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What can I do to help?
Residents of White Oak Lake watershed can volunteer as part of IOWATER. Monitors collect
information on the levels of nitrates, nitrites, dissolved oxygen, pH, chloride and phosphate in the lake.
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.
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What is the future of White Oak Lake?
"I think the future of White Oak Lake can be very bright," said Matt Lechtenberg, project coordinator.
"If we continue to work together and there is a continued interest, the White Oak Lake watershed can be very successful."
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