THE 

IOWA CITIZEN MONITOR

VOLUME 3:2 Spring 2002

Setting Our Sights

Rich Leopold - IOWATER Coordinator

IOWATER's approach to directing citizen monitor efforts has so far been very "hands-off." At workshops, methods are presented and general guidelines to setting up a monitoring program are given.  Different scenarios are discussed, such as looking for general trends or setting up a monitoring program to discover the influence of "something," such as rain, a pipe, or a riparian buffer strip.  We discuss the definition of a watershed and how to do a watershed assessment.  But we, as IOWATER staff, have not directed any volunteer activities.  The atmosphere has always been, "Do what you want to do, when you want to do it."

That is about to change for some of us.  This season, IOWATER staff will be making themselves available for group or individual "field visits" to assist in setting up YOUR monitoring program.  As Lynette, Jackie and I continue to do workshops this summer, we have set aside time either prior to or following these workshops to meet and discuss your monitoring plan, visit your monitoring sites, or perhaps participate in a water-quality monitoring with you and your group to check the accuracy of your methods.  

The reasons for this change are many.  Volunteers in IOWATER are contributing to what we know about Iowa's waters.  By having scientists suggest locations and monitoring regimes (frequency, parameters, etc) we can more ably fill in "holes" in information and gaps in data.  Many volunteer monitors have requested additional help from IOWATER staff, and we realize it is YOU that are doing the great work and contributing your valuable time.

Please understand - these meetings would be completely voluntary. Many enter the IOWATER program knowing EXACTLY what, when and where they want to monitor, and that's great! This opportunity is for those who want more direction, or want to expand their efforts to help our natural resources. It will also aid those in the Department of Natural Resources and other natural resource professionals by providing more comprehensive information about our state's waters. In meeting with DNR Director Jeff Vonk and other DNR personnell, the consensus is they are very interested in directing volunteer efforts in gathering useful information to guide Iowa's natural resource policies and procedures. There are plenty of gaps, and plenty of volunteers to fill those gaps!

So how does this work? First, you may contact us. Tell us you are interested in going out with someone from IOWATER to look at your monitoring site, or have us review your monitoring plan. Contact Jackie at (515) 281-4476 or .  She has a "list" of available dates and can set up the meeting. Second, we actually might contact you. As we have available time in different locations across the state, we may look up registered monitoring groups or just call everyone within the county trained in IOWATER and ask if you want to get together when we're in the area.

Either way, look for us to make even more efforts to meet you in your backyards in the future. Please, feel free to contact Lynette, Jackie or me concerning these meetings or other topics. Know that we are aware and are appreciative of everything you are doing to contribute to one of the largest grassroots environmental movements ever to happen in our state. We'll see you on the road this summer!

E-Copy, Anyone?

Hate getting lots of mail? Do you trend to lose track of your mail? Would you like to do your part of save IOWATER money as well as help save the environment? You can do it!

Beginning with the Summer 2002 newsletter, we will be offering your "IOWATER E-Copy," an electronic copy of the IOWATER quarterly newsletter.  The same great newsletter that you get in your mailbox four times per year, in your e-mail inbox instead! If you would like to go "paperless," just send an e-mail to Jacklyn Neely at with the subject line reading "E-Copy." Please include the e-mail address where you would like your newsletter sent. We must receive your request by June 15 for you to receive the Summer 2002 newsletter electronically.

iowater.net
Net Notes

Lynette Seigley - Research Geologist

It's no April Fool's joke - the IOWATER map server is up and running! Thanks to Joost Korpel, the IOWATER map server is online and available again after being down for the past several months.

Update on Sites Registered/Data Submitted. As of April 1, 796 sites in 86 counties have been registered in the IOWATER database. A total of 809 biological, 2,159 chemical/physical, 597 habitat, and 192 photographic records have been submitted.

Spring Fever - Time to Register Sites. New IOWATER sites can be registered online at iowater.net/database/online.asp. Use the Iowa Geographic Image Map Server to locate your site and identify the UTM coordinates. Then, use the online "Register a New Monitoring Site" form. A site identification number will be sent to you within a week.

Forgotten your IOWATER monitor ID or password? If so, contact Lynette or Jackie (Jackie can be reached at 515-281-4476 or ). 

If you have questions or need help using the IOWATER database, contact Lynette Seigley at (319) 335-1598 or .  We welcome any suggestions or comments you have for improving the database.

Introducing & Me!

Brian Soenen - IOWATER Natural Resources Interpreter

Two years ago, IOWATER meant nothing to me; I had never heard of it! Somehow the wonderful world of IOWATER had managed to elude me. It wasn't until I went home to visit my family in December 2000 that I was introduced to the program, when I had the pleasure of performing my first IOWATER monitoring with my dad. I remember thinking at the time how great it was that a program like this existed and what an awesome opportunity it is for the public to make a difference in the quality of our water. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever be working for IOWATER!

So just how did this happen? Well, I'm an Iowa native; I was born, raised, and graduated high school in Emmetsburg. It was there that a strong environmental ethic was instilled within me. I then attended the University of Northern Iowa, where I graduated in May 2000 with a bachelor's degree in natural history interpretation. After college I moved to Iowa City, and worked as a project interpreter for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Coralville Lake. Here I met my fiancée, who later moved to Des Moines to go to school; I then moved to Des Moines and found a home with IOWATER. It's certainly great to be here!

What will I be doing for IOWATER? I am currently developing and will be facilitating the Level II Water Ecology module as well as the Secondary Educators module, which will aid in incorporating IOWATER into the classroom. I am excited to be a part of this program look forward to helping you monitor and make a difference in the quality of our water. IOWATER has grown tremendously and been incredibly successful. I am very proud to say that IOWATER no longer means nothing to me; it now means the world to me. I hope to see you all soon!

Critter Identification Field Days Offered

Rich Leopold - IOWATER Coordinator

Many have commented that the time spent at workshops identifying the critters was too short, and these "benthic macroinvertebrately- challenged" individuals wanted an entire day to look at the bugs. Your cries have been heard, and this summer we are offering two Benthic Macroinvertebrate Field Days. The dates and locations are:

· May 18 in Johnson County (Iowa City area), and

· July 10 in Harrison County (Missouri Valley area)

Anyone who has attended an IOWATER Level 1 workshop or a Level 2 Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indexing module may attend. We will meet at a central location at 9 a.m. and carpool to local streams to collect and identify anything we catch. We'll have lunch somewhere along the way and finish up the day around 4 pm. There is no charge for these field days (meal at your own expense) but I do request you "sign-up" by calling me at (515) 281-3252 or e-mailing me at   to let me know you are interested and how many to expect. I will then send you a map of where we will meet for the day. Please join us, enjoy the day, and get to know better your local stream-dwelling creepy crawlies! 

Water Quality in Iowa:  The Section 305(b) Report

John Olson - Environmental Specialist, Iowa DNR/Water Quality Bureau

The federal Clean Water Act, first passed in 1972 and last amended in 1987, has been instrumental in improving water-quality conditions throughout the United States. The condition of the environment in the U.S. in the 1960s had deteriorated to the point that the public demanded federal action; the Clean Water Act (CWA) was the result of this demand. Among the many requirements of the CWA is Section 305(b) which requires each state to report, every two years, on their progress in meeting state water-quality standards and in achieving the "fishable/swimmable" goals of the CWA. Iowa's Water Quality Standards identify which of the state's surface waters are classified for beneficial uses such as fishing (aquatic life uses), swimming (primary contact recreation uses) and drinking water uses, and they describe the water quality criteria designed to protect these uses from pollution impacts.

The unit of assessment for Section 305(b) reporting is the "waterbody." In Iowa, approximately 1,400 waterbodies, including streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands, have been defined. Each lake, reservoir and wetland is defined as a single waterbody. Stream and river reaches are subdivided into waterbodies and waterbody subsegments based on length.

A Section 305(b) assessment begins with the comparison of water-quality monitoring data or other information for a waterbody to state water-quality criteria. Based on the results of these comparisons, the U.S. EPA requests that states place their assessed waterbodies into one of four categories that describe the degree to which the waterbody supports all of its intended beneficial uses. These categories are as follows: 1) fully supported, 2) fully supported/threatened, 3) partially supported, and 4) not supported. In terms of relative water quality, these categories can roughly be interpreted as "very good," "good," "fair," and "poor," respectively. According to U.S. EPA's reporting guidelines, any waterbodies assessed as either "partially supporting" or "not supporting" any beneficial use do not fully meet water-quality standards and should be considered "impaired." For each waterbody assessed as "impaired," the state is asked to identify the causes and sources of impairment and to rank these causes and sources in importance. The waterbodies assessed as "impaired" as part of Section 305(b) reporting form the basis for the state's list of impaired waters as required by Section 303(d) of the CWA.

In Iowa, the majority of water-quality data used for Section 305(b) reporting is generated through Iowa's ambient water-quality monitoring network, including the DNR biological assessment program. Additional sources of information include reports of fish kills, monitoring of bacteria levels at state-owned beaches, data from public water supplies, results of special studies of water quality, and best professional judgement of DNR staff. To the extent possible, Iowa's Section 305(b) water quality assessments are based on site-specific information such as results of chemical or biological monitoring.

Thus far, results of volunteer monitoring have not been used assessing waterbodies for Iowa's 305(b) report. In order to be useful for Section 305(b) reporting, sufficient amounts of data of the appropriate types need to be collected and summarized so that valid comparisons to state water-quality standards can be made. Results of volunteer biological monitoring need to be summarized to that the status of aquatic life in a stream or lake is clearly indicated. Also, if volunteer monitors are interested in having their data used for Section 305(b) reporting, they need to become familiar with the surface water classification system in Iowa's Water Quality Standards. This way, volunteers can target their monitoring efforts toward collection of data that can be used to assess the beneficial uses designated for their waterbody of interest. Failure to account for the state's surface water classification system can result in collection of data that are neither directly relevant to the classified beneficial uses nor useful for Section 305(b) reporting. For example, the collection of data showing nitrate levels above U.S. EPA's MCL of 10 mg/l in a small stream designated only for aquatic life uses will not be useful for developing a Section 305(b) assessment. That is, the only beneficial use affected by high levels of nitrate is the drinking water use. If a stream reach is not designated for that use, data on nitrate _ while potentially indicative of a water-quality problem downstream _ are simply not relevant to determining support of designated uses. As IOWATER expands and improves, results of volunteer monitoring will likely become an important source of information for developing Section 305(b) assessments of water quality.

In 2000, the Iowa legislature passed a law that requires "credible data" for purposes of placing an Iowa waterbody on the states list of "impaired" waters; this list is required by Section 303(d) of the CWA. Iowa's "credible data" law defines, in detail, the data quality requirements needed to assess a waterbody as "impaired" for purposes of Section 303(d) listing. As stated in the law, however, water quality assessments conducted for Section 305(b) reporting are not subject to these strict data quality requirements. Thus, Iowa's Section 305(b) report can include both assessments that meet "credible data" requirements and are appropriate for Section 303(d) listing as well as assessments that are less science-based and not appropriate for the Section 303(d) list.

Table 1. The degree to which Iowa waterbodies were assessed as supporting all of their beneficial uses as described in Iowa Water Quality Standards during the 1998-1999 biennial period.

The DNR's 2000 Section 305(b) report summarizes the water quality in Iowa for the biennial period of October 1997 through September 1999. Table 1 provides a brief summary of the water-quality assessments developed for that report. The next 305(b) report, due in 2002, will cover the period of October 1999 through September 2001 and will include data from Iowa's enhanced water-quality monitoring program begun in 2000.

The results of Section 305(b) reporting suggest that the biggest threats to water quality statewide are habitat alterations and excessive levels of sediment and nutrients in Iowa's waterbodies. Spills of chemicals and manure, especially those that cause fish kills, are also causes for concern.

Water monitoring during the time covered by the 2000 report showed that levels of toxic metals, ammonia, pH and oxygen-demanding substances at monitoring stations on Iowa rivers were typically well within state water-quality criteria, largely reflecting state success in controlling municipal and industrial sources of pollution. This pattern is consistent with Iowa's previous Section 305(b) reports.

Results from the Iowa groundwater-monitoring network in 1998 and 1999 show relatively low levels of pesticides with no levels occurring above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contaminant levels. This network is conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory and DNR.

Other findings in the 2000 report include:

• Levels of bacteria in Iowa rivers have been and continue to be relatively high compared to state water-quality standards designed to protect water for swimming.
• Stream channelization, removal of near-stream vegetation and over-pasturing of stream corridors were often identified as causing alterations to aquatic habitat that limit the ability of the stream to support a healthy community of native types and numbers of aquatic life on Iowa's smaller streams.
• Most of the water-quality problems at Iowa's manmade lakes are related to excessive levels of sediment and plant nutrients (especially phosphorus) delivered to the lake in runoff from agricultural and urban areas in lake watersheds.
• Impairments at Iowa's natural lakes in northern Iowa are most often related to natural shallowness and to large populations of bottom-feeding fish such as common carp. Because most of these lakes are shallow, wind and wave action tend to circulate the entire water column during summer with the result that levels of nutrients and turbidity are increased. The presence of large populations of common carp tend to worsen these conditions.
• Many of the causes of impairment in Iowa's waterbodies especially sediment, nutrients, habitat alterations are related to agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Other sources of impairments - including municipal and industrial point sources, urban runoff, and combined sewer overflows - cause less widespread, but often more severe, water quality impacts than do agricultural nonpoint sources.
• No state swimming beaches were closed, nor were incidences of waterborne disease reported, from 1998-1999. Based on 1999 DNR monitoring results for indicator bacteria at swimming beaches of 11 Iowa lakes, five beaches were posted with warnings of potential health risks to swimmers. (Note: Some beaches were closed during 2000 and 2001, but the report does not cover that time period).
• High levels of nitrate in Iowa river reaches used as a source of drinking water continue to present a serious water-quality problem for several Iowa cities.

It is important to keep the status of water quality in perspective. While many of Iowa's surface waters are currently impaired by agricultural nonpoint sources, these impairments are generally much less severe than water-quality impacts related to discharge of untreated or poorly-treated sewage to Iowa's rivers and lakes prior to development of pollution control programs in the 1970s. The Clean Water Act, and especially the Act's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, has been very successful in eliminating many of Iowa's most historically severe water pollution problems.

Editor's Note: IOWATER suggests that you review the complete, unedited 305(b) report. It can be accessed on the DNR's Web site at www.state.ia.us/epd/wtrq/305b00. 

2002 Level 2 Workshops

To attend any of the Level 2 trainings, you must have attended a Level 1 workshop. You may then attend Level 2 trainings in any order. It's a "menu" approach, please feel free to attend whichever you choose to. The trainings described below include the Level 2 Workshop (8 hours) and the five Level 2 Modules. All modules are 4 hours in length except for the Secondary Educators Module, which is five hours.

An IOWATER Citizen Monitor will be certified as Level 2 trained upon completion of the Level 2 Workshop and at least one Level 2 module.

Level 2 Workshops. This training session will include specific help on designing a monitoring program, an introduction to Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP), and methods for interpreting collected data. Additional monitoring includes chloride and general coliform and E. coli bacteria (types of bacteria present in the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals). Participants will construct a homemade "incubator" to take home and culture bacteria samples.

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indexing Module. We will identify and count the critters to order and aquatic insects to family. These techniques will give us the ability to use "metrics," or data summaries, to further assess the health of our waters.

Standing Waters Module (Lakes, Ponds, and Wetlands). Many of the monitoring tests used at Level 1 stream monitoring have been adapted for standing waters, in addition to parameters such as water clarity (using a secchi disk), water color characterization, and aquatic plant identification. This module also serves as an educational program to learn about standing water ecosystems.

Soils Module. This module focuses on the ecological health of our soils. We accomplish this through indicators such as soil infiltration, soil chemistry, and stability of soil aggregates to wetting. This will be useful in spotting problem areas and trends and building an understanding of our soil and how it impacts water quality.

NEW FOR 2002!

Water Ecology Module. IOWATER volunteers collect plenty of data, but sometimes it is beneficial to gain an understanding of the complete world around you. This interpretive module will explain the principals of the ecology of water in Iowa. Topics will include stream hydrology, water food webs, and watershed/non-point pollution sources and solutions. Demonstrations will be provided.

Secondary Educators Module. This module will investigate ways to bring IOWATER to the classroom. Activities from Project WILD Aquatic, Project WET, River of Words, and others will be introduced, in addition to "ready-to-use" classroom materials covering a variety of topics (e.g. Iowa's natural history, nutrient loads, stream channelization, and more). Educators will soon be able to earn continuing education credits (CEUs) or graduate credit when they attend this module; we had hoped to have more information available by this newsletter but unfortunately, we do not. Keep checking the IOWATER Web site for updates; the summer 2002 newsletter will DEFINITELY have an update.

IOWATER Level 2 Workshops and Modules Registration Form

The workshop registration fee is $25 for Level 2 workshops and $10 for each of the modules. This covers all program fees, meals, and testing equipment. To register for any of these IOWATER workshops, please fill out and send in this registration form. You will be sent confirmation, maps, and more information when paid registrations are received.

Level 2 Workshops

_____ May 4    8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Annett Nature Center, Indianola

_____ June 15  8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, Sioux City

_____ June 29  8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Nahant Marsh Educational Field Station, Davenport

_____ August 17 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Hartman Reserve Nature Center, Cedar Falls

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Module

_____ July 13  8 a.m. - 12 noon Starr's Cave Nature Center, Burlington

_____ August 10  8 a.m. - 12 noon Springbrook Conservation Ed. Center, Guthrie Center

_____ August 24 1 - 5 p.m. Bailey's Ford Park, Manchester

_____ August 31 1 - 5 p.m. Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Milford

Soil Module

_____ June 14 5 - 9 p.m. Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, Sioux City

_____ June 22 1 - 5 p.m. Rathbun Regional Water Association, Centerville

_____ August 24 8 a.m. - 12 noon Bailey's Ford Park, Manchester

Standing Waters Module

_____ June 8 1 - 5 p.m. Rock Creek Lake State Park, Kellogg

_____ June 22 8 a.m. - 12 noon Rathbun Regional Water Association, Centerville

_____ August 31 8 a.m. - 12 noon Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Milford

Water Ecology Module

_____ July 13 1 - 5 p.m. Starr's Cave Nature Center, Burlington

_____ August 10 1 - 5 p.m. Springbrook Conservation Ed. Center, Guthrie Center

_____ Sept 21 1 - 5 p.m. Fossil and Prairie Center, Rockford

Secondary Educators Module

_____ June 28 4 - 10 p.m. Nahant Marsh Ed. Field Station, Davenport (Note NEW TIME)

_____ Sept 14 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Kennedy Park, Fort Dodge (NEW!)

_____ Sept 21 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Fossil and Prairie Center, Rockford (Note NEW TIME)

Name: ____________________________ Organization: _______________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________

Street or PO Box City State Zip Code

Phone: (Day) _______________________ (Evening) ___________________________

E-Mail: _______________________________________________________________________

Make check out to Iowa DNR ($25 for Level 2 workshop and $10 for each Level 2 module)

Send To: Rich Leopold - IOWATER
                  Iowa DNR - Wallace Office Bldg.
                  502 East 9^th Street
                  Des Moines, IA 50319

2002 Level I Workshops

Get Ready for The Big One!

The 2002 Iowa State Fair is fast approaching, and the fun of the fair wouldn't be complete without the cool displays in the DNR building. We need your help! If you're planning on being in Des Moines for the fair this summer, and can spare 4 hours of your time, please contact Rich at (515) 281-3252 or [email protected] to sign up to work a shift at the IOWATER booth. The fair runs Thursday, August 8 through Sunday, August 18. Shifts are as follows:

•  8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.
• 4:30 - 8:30 p.m.

You CAN work one or more shifts. Your responsibility? To tell those touring the DNR building all about IOWATER! Your reward? You will receive one free admission for the fair, a parking pass and an IOWATER T-shirt. Not too shabby for spreading the word about such an awesome program!

Attention Watershed Groups!

Jacklyn Neely _ IOWATER Field Coordinator

Exciting news! The IOWATER Volunteer Monitoring Directory is now available online at iowater.net.  This directory is aimed at helping volunteers connect with each other and with the resources they need to plan and sustain their programs. It will be a resource for individuals and groups interested in becoming involved in water monitoring by providing them with contacts in existing groups. Water-quality professionals wanting to enlist the work of citizen monitors will also find the directory an important source of information. As new groups form they can be listed in the directory by submitting an online registration form at iowater.net.  The directory will be updated regularly and printed copies are available by contacting IOWATER Field Coordinator Jacklyn Neely at (515) 281- 4476 or . 

IOWATER Action!

Monitors in the Water

Here are some examples of IOWATER in the news, events, and/or press releases involving IOWATER monitors:

· Boone County - Thanks to Missy King, Boone County Conservation Board and Boone County ISU Extension for including IOWATER in their Environmental Interest Club for youth.

· Buchanan County - Thanks to Jeremy Viles for his coordination and monitoring events on Crane Creek (Northern Wapsipinicon River tributary).

· Dickinson County - Thanks to Eric Bueltel of the Dickinson County Conservation Board in leading the formation of an IOWATER monitoring project in Dickinson County.

· Jones County - Thanks to Rick Lawrence and the Maquoketa River Alliance for including IOWATER in their Maquoketa River Festival on March 22, 2002, in Monticello.

· Winneshiek County - Thanks to Ron Fairchild and Meg Storkamp for highlighting Decorah Middle School's 7^th grade class' IOWATER monitoring and habitat improvements on nearby streams.

IMPORTANT!!! Check Those Expiration Dates!

Rich Leopold - IOWATER Coordinator

As summer approaches, many of you will be digging out your water monitoring equipment for another season. As you plan and prepare for monitoring, be sure to check the expiration dates on your chemical monitoring equipment! Here is a guideline for IOWATER chemical monitoring equipment:

CHEMets Dissolved Oxygen Self-Filling Ampoules
The ampoules themselves do not have an expiration date AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THEM OUT OF SUNLIGHT! Exposure to sunlight will turn the liquid from a yellow tint (normal) to a more robust gold tint (defective) and give you less-than-accurate results. When in the field, be sure to take an ampoule out of the box carefully, do not remove a whole "tray" of ampoules and leave them exposed when completing a DO test.

This also applies to the reference color ampoule plate in the kit you use to get your reading. Prolonged exposure to sunlight will cause the colors to fade. This plate DOES have an expiration date. Carefully pull the plate out of the black case and check the back. If the ampoule reference plate is expired, you need a replacement for accurate readings. This is especially important if you were trained during the year 2000; yours may need replacement this year.

CHEMets Phosphate Self-Filling Ampoules and Activator Solution
These ampoules do not have an expiration date and are not affected by sunlight. However, the reference color ampoule plate and the reference color round tube are affected by prolonged exposure to sunlight and both do have an expiration date (see side of color ampoule tube and back of color ampoule plate). The activator solution used in this test also has an expiration date, look on the side of the bottle. There should be no IOWATER monitors with materials that will expire this year for this test, they are all good for two years, and IOWATER only started using this test one year ago. To be safe, though, check it anyway.

Hach Nitrite-N/Nitrate-N test strips, Hach pH Test strips, and Hach Chloride Titrators
All of these have expiration dates on the bottom of the bottles. This is again especially important if you were trained in the year 2000, yours may need replacement this year.

Micrology Laboratories, LLC. Coliscan Easygel Bacteria Monitoring Supplies
Both the bacteria media and petri dishes have an expiration date. Check the labels on the bacteria media and the bag of petri dishes for these expiration dates. The media has a shelf life of 6 months and needs to remain frozen until used.

To replace expired bacterial monitoring supplies, contact Lynette. For all other expired supplies, contact Jackie. Please be sure to read the Resupply Policy on the following page for details on requirements.

IOWATER Resupply Policy

Because of the need for future materials for your monitoring, and the need of the IOWATER program to justify the expense of continuing to supplying these materials, we have created an "IOWATER Program Criteria for Receiving Additional Monitoring Equipment and Supplies." These criteria are as follows:

To receive additional consumable IOWATER monitoring supplies (CHEMets Dissolved Oxygen replacement supplies, CHEMets Phosphate replacement supplies, Hach Nitrite-N/Nitrate-N test strips, Hach pH test strips, Hach Chloride titrators, or Micrology Laboratories, LLC. Coliscan Easygel bacteria monitoring supplies), you must at a minimum submit to the IOWATER database:

• One IOWATER Level 1 Stream Habitat Assessment
• One Biological Assessment, and
• Three Chemical/Physical Assessments

These will be calculated on the basis of one "monitoring season" of January 1 to December 31 of a given calendar year, and will be supplied upon request for reasons of supplies becoming expired, or supplies depleted because of monitoring activities.

To receive additional non-consumable supplies, due to breakage, loss, or expanding of a monitoring program, the above criteria must be met in addition to a written request sent to the IOWATER program. Items may include transparency tubes, fiberglass tape measures, aquatic thermometers, benthic nets and other items.

All supply requests will be handled under the sole discretion of IOWATER staff and may be contingent upon availability of requested materials. The IOWATER program may discontinue this policy at any point in time, especially due to financial constraints.

IOWATER STAFF ... How to Reach Us

Richard Leopold, IOWATER Coordinator
502 E. 9th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
 
(515) 281-3252

Jacklyn Neely, IOWATER Field Coordinator
502 E. 9th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319

(515) 281-4476

Brian Soenen, IOWATER Natural Resources Interpreter
502 E. 9th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319

(515) 281-6640 

Lynette Seigley, Research Geologist
109 Trowbridge Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242

(319) 335-1598

Second Go-Round

Since the first year was such a success, we thought we'd do it again. The 2^nd Annual Volunteers in Natural Resources Conference has been tentatively scheduled for October 25-26, 2002, in Des Moines. The merrymaking will begin around 4 p.m. on Friday night. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for this year's event, contact Stefanie Forret at (515) 281-3150 or [email protected]. Details and registration forms will be sent to you in the Summer 2002 newsletter.