Data & Reports
DATA, REPORTS, INFORMATION
Improving the Cedar River Watershed requires a good understanding of environmental conditions. This page lists sources of information for different aspects of the watershed, including water quality (pollution), water quantity (flooding), and land uses.
Cedar River Watershed – Education Plan
Following the catastrophic 2008 floods, County Conservation Boards across the Cedar River Watershed banded together and sought funds to establish the Cedar River Watershed Education Project. Part of the project entailed hiring a consultant to develop an education plan, available here: Cedar River Education Plan
Water Quality Reports
Impaired Waters: As of 2012, 43 lakes and streams were listed as impaired in the Cedar River Watershed. This means that water quality in these lakes and rivers does not meet applicable standards. Learn more about impaired waters here.
Impaired waters in the Cedar River Watershed (2010)
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Reports: When a water body is listed as impaired, a TMDL may be written to provide a roadmap for improving water quality.
- Beeds Lake, Franklin County: Pathogens (2006)
- Black Hawk Creek, Black Hawk County: Pathogens (2006)
- Casey Lake, Tama County: Algae and pH (2012)
- Cedar Lake, Linn County: Chlordane (2001)
- Cedar River, Linn County: Nitrate (2006)
- Cedar River, Iowa: Pathogens (2010)
- Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo County: Nutrients and Algae (2005)
- George Wythe Lake, Black Hawk County: Pathogens (2008)
- Mcloud Run, Linn County: Thermal modifications (2007)
- Middle Fork South Beaver Creek, Grundy County: Sediment and Phosphorus (2007)
- Mud Creek, Muscatine County: Organic enrichment (2003)
- Dry Run Creek, Black Hawk County: Stressor Identification (2008)
Water Quality Monitoring
Iowa DNR – Watershed Monitoring and Assessment: The Iowa DNR has been monitoring water quality at 75 stream sites across Iowa on a monthly basis since October 1999. A map of the statewide monitoring network is available here: Iowa DNR Stream Monitoring
Fourteen monitoring stations are located in the Cedar River Watershed.
- Cedar River near Charles City – Station 10340001
- Winnebago River upstream of Mason City – Station 10170002
- Winnebago River downstream of Mason City – Station 10170003
- Shell Rock River at Shell Rock – Station 10120001
- Cedar River near Janesville – Station 10090001
- West Fork Cedar River at Finchford – Station 10070003
- Beaver Creek near Cedar Falls – Station 10070001
- Cedar River upstream Waterloo / Cedar Falls – Station 10070005
- Black Hawk Creek at Waterloo – Station 10070004
- Cedar River downstream of Waterloo – Station 10070006
- Wolf Creek at La Porte City – Station 10070006
- Cedar River upstream of Cedar Rapids – Station 10570002
- Cedar River downstream of Cedar Rapids – Station 10570001
- Cedar River near Conesville – Station 10700001
Iowa Water Quality Information System – University of Iowa Hydroscience & Engineering (IIHR): The IWQIS is an online interactive tool that allows access to real-time water quality data and information such as nitrate, chlorophyll, and dissolved oxygen concentrations. The goal is to help researchers, agencies, and landowners directly monitor the impact of land use strategies/changes on downstream water quality, enable watershed stakeholders to understand the fate and transport of nutrients in Iowa’s waterways, and help the state monitor the success of its Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. http://ifis.iowafloodcenter.org/ifis/sc/wqis/
United States Geological Survey (USGS): USGS collects continuous data on streamflows that is available on their website. The USGS Stream Gage Network includes 26 real-time streamflow monitoring sites in the Cedar River Basin: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/current/?type=flow
Iowa Flood Center – Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS) – IFIS is a web platform developed by the Iowa Flood Center (IFC) at the University of Iowa. IFIS provides a user-friendly and interactive environment for over 1000 communities in Iowa regarding flood conditions, flood forecasts, data visualizations, and flood-related data, information and applications. http://ifis.iowafloodcenter.org/ifis/en/
General Information
Rapid Watershed Assessments – These reports are written by the Natural Resource Conservation Service and provide an overview of issues in the sub-basins. The reports are available here: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/ia/technical/dma/rwa/
