Trout Run & Siewers Spring Watershed Project

Project Description

Trout Run and Siewers Spring are two interconnected waterbodies of significant importance to the community. Trout Run is one of Iowa’s most popular coldwater trout streams. Siewers Spring is Iowa’s second largest natural spring and a major contributor to the Trout Run coldwater fishery. Siewers Spring is also the water source of the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery, which raises 150,000 trout each year for stocking into trout streams and community fisheries throughout the state.

Both Trout Run and Siewers Spring have had water quality issues dating back decades. Most notable is the turbid, sediment laden waters that can be observed at Siewers Spring after rainfall events in the Trout Run watershed. Since 1996, Trout Run has been listed on Iowa DNR’s impaired waters list for biological impairments and E.coli. More recent water quality monitoring in Trout Run and Siewers Spring indicate high amounts of sediment, nutrients, and bacteria present, especially during rain events in the watershed.

Land use within the watershed has changed as more agricultural acres have been converted to row crop production, leaving fewer acres with perennial pasture or hay grown for livestock. Conventional farming practices like tillage, reduced crop diversity and crop rotation, and increased chemical application have depleted soil biology and compromised soil structure, leading to increased erosion and reduced infiltration.

In the Trout Run Watershed, there is a need for soil conservation practices that keep soil in place and help build a healthy soil structure. By implementing soil health practices, the soil will build organic matter and promote a soil food web that allows for increased nutrient cycling and water storage capacity after rain events. The overall goal of the project is to reduce sediment delivery to Trout Run and Siewers Spring by working with farmers to build health in the Trout Run watershed.