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  • Upper Iowa River Watershed

    The 1,000-square-mile (640,900 acres) Upper Iowa River originates in Minnesota, but 78% of its watershed is in Northeast Iowa.

    WebsiteFact Sheet

Upper Iowa River

The 1,000-square-mile (640,900 acres) Upper Iowa River originates in Minnesota, but 78% of its watershed is in Northeast Iowa. The Upper Iowa River Watershed (UIRW) is part of the Driftless Region of Iowa. Its karst topography features limestone bluffs that rise 250 to 450 feet above the valley floor, dozens of coldwater trout streams, nearly 3,000 sinkholes and waterfalls, and hundreds of springs. Cropland accounts for more than 40% of the watershed, which also includes grassland (35%) and hardwood forests (19%). The EPA and Iowa recognize the UIRW as a Priority Watershed. Iowa designates 244 miles of the Upper Iowa River as High-quality Resource Waters or High-quality Waters, and the Upper Iowa was among the initial rivers included in the National Wild and Scenic River System.

The UIRW is a popular tourist destination. It has excellent walleye and bass fishing, but is best known for its 152 miles of coldwater trout steams, which lure anglers from around the world. More than 150 protected species of animals and plants live in the watershed, which also harbors endangered ecosystems. Unfortunately, frequent flooding and severe erosion are causing serious damage to the streams and rivers.

Details

Grant Award: $5,695,722

Lead County: Winneshiek

Project Coordinator

  • Matt Frana
  • Matt.Frana@ia.nacdnet.net
  • (563) 382-4352 x3
Project Website

Contact Matt Frana for any questions or comments you may have about the Upper Iowa River Watershed project.

Planning Consultant

Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation & Development

Project Engineer

Winneshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District

Upper Iowa In the News

January 13, 2022

Virtual Field Day: Upper Iowa Road Detention Structures

Kuehener stands next installed conservation practice
October 21, 2021

Connecting for Conservation

November 27, 2017

Job Opening: Upper Iowa River WMA Conservation Technician

Canoers on the Upper Iowa River
October 4, 2017

Job Position Opening: Conservation Technician

Canoers on the Upper Iowa River
March 6, 2017

Job Opening: Upper Iowa River WMA Project Coordinator

Upcoming Meetings

Resources

  • Upper Iowa River Watershed Hydrologic Assessment
  • Upper Iowa River Watershed Management Plan
  • Upper Iowa Watershed Project Evaluation Report
  • Community Flood Resilience in Freeport 
  • Upper Iowa River Fact Sheet

Meeting Materials

DEC 12, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

SEPT 12, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
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JUNE 11, 2019

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MARCH 28, 2019

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NOV 8, 2018

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AUG 9, 2018

  • Agenda
  • Presentations (none)
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JUNE 14, 2018

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FEB 15, 2018

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
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NOV 9, 2017

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AUG 10, 2017

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JUN 15, 2017

  • Agenda
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APR 6, 2017

  • Agenda
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JAN 11, 2017

  • Agenda
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SEP 28, 2016

  • Agenda
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IWA In the News

  • IWA’s Legacy from Project Lead, Larry Weber
  • Predicting Iowa’s Next Big Storm
  • Iowa’s Watershed Approach provides a model for tackling big challenges on the Mississippi River.
  • $97 million goes towards flood resilience across Iowa
  • $97 million statewide flood-reduction initiative

IWA News Categories

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