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  • West Nishnabotna River Watershed

    The West Nishnabotna River Watershed in Southwest Iowa is a tributary of the Missouri River. The watershed includes 489,500 acres within the Southern Iowa Drift Plain Region, with its steeply rolling uplands and wide valleys. Scott Holmes Photo/Flickr Creative Commons

    Fact Sheet
    Nishnabotna River

West Nishnabotna River

The West Nishnabotna River Watershed (WNRW) in Southwest Iowa is a tributary of the Missouri River. The watershed includes 489,500 acres within the Southern Iowa Drift Plain Region, with its steeply rolling uplands and wide valleys. This area consists of thick loess deposits with underlying glacial till and is highly erodible and susceptible to severe stream degradation. The river is used heavily for recreation and tourism, and it provides many historic and cultural resources, including the only state-designated water trail in Southwest Iowa. Currently, 80% of the watershed is cropland.

Channel straightening in the early 1900s affected about 90% of the lower 100 miles of the river. An estimated $1.1B in damage has accrued from damaged bridges, utility lines, culverts, farmalnds, and sediment deposition from post-channelization streambank erosion. Today, the West Nishnabotna River Water Trail is one of the most physically altered state water trails in Iowa, with 15-foot high banks and no riparian zone. In 2013, the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy identified the West Nishnabotna River Watershed as a high priority area for implementing best management practices for reducing nitrogen and phosphorous loads.

Details

Grant Award: $5,438,462

Lead County: Mills

Project Coordinator

  • Cara Marker-Morgann
  • cmorgan@goldenhillsrcd.org
  • (712) 482-3029
  • (712) 249-6024

Contact Cara Marker-Morgan for any questions or comments you may have about the Nishnabotna River Watershed project.

Golden Hills RC&D Website

Planning Consultant

JEO Consulting Group

Project Engineer

JEO Consulting Group

West Nishnabotna River In the News

February 17, 2022

Filling IA’s Empty Resources Fund Could Aid Local Flood Work

Nish raingarden install
August 8, 2019

Nishnabotna River Watershed receives WQI Grant and Installs Raingardens with Youth

July 5, 2018

Citizens Help Shape Future of Flood Resiliency, Water Quality in Nishnabotna River Watersheds

May 16, 2018

East and West Nishnabotna River WMC seeks Engineering Services

July 17, 2017

Nishnabotna watershed planning continues

Upcoming Meetings

Resources

  • West Nishnabtona River Watershed Hydrologic Assessment Report
  • West Nishnabotna River Watershed Management & Flood Resiliency Plan
  • East and West Nishnabotna Fact Sheet

Meeting Materials

DEC 18, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

SEPT 18, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

JUNE 19, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

APRIL 17, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

MARCH 20, 2019 – Postponed

DEC 19, 2018

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

SEPT 19, 2018

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

JUNE 20, 2018

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

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MAR 28, 2018

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

DEC 20, 2017

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

SEP 20, 2017

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

JUN 14, 2017

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

MAR 29, 2017

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

DEC 14, 2016

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

SEP 14, 2016

  • Agenda
  • Presentations
  • Minutes

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IWA In the News

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  • $97 million goes towards flood resilience across Iowa
  • $97 million statewide flood-reduction initiative

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