the great rivers ieca chapter spring newsletter€¦ · compared to other ieca chapters. however,...

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GREAT RIVERS 2015 SPRING NEWSLETTER

May 1, 2015

President's Message Spring 2015

In February, ChapterPresident Brock Peters waselected as Region One (R1)President of the InternationalErosion Control Association.The President's Message forthis newsletter issue isdedicated to some questionsasked of Brock regarding thisnew role and his generalthoughts on IECA. We hope

you enjoy it!

1. How does the IECA "Big Board" serveChapters like Great Rivers? And vice versa?

The IECA Presidents Council became a realityduring EC14 in Nashville. For the first time in thehistory of IECA a body was formed for R1 boardactivities to be communicated to all chapterpresidents, as well as chapter presidents havinga voice in communicating how chapter activitieswere performed. This has helped remove anydisconnect between the R1 board and chapter

In This Issue

President's Message - BrockPeters

SAVE THE DATE - 2016 SpringConference

Member Highlight - MikeWolfe is the Erosion ControlSpecialist for the City of CedarRapids

Combatting Flash Floods inSoutheast Iowa - The smalltown of Kalona, Iowa has setthe course for a re-imaginingof of Salvesen Creek

Researcher's Corner - St.Anthony Falls Laboratory: AResource Within a Resource

Spring Conference - ThankYou to Our Exhibitors!

Media Sponsor

Amy Dencklau

The Great Rivers IECA Chapter Spring Newsletter http://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Great-Rivers-IECA-C...

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leadership.

2. Being President of both a Chapter and theInternational Region One Board can come withchallenges, but also rewards. Can you think ofone challenge, but also one reward thatyou've experienced so far in this role?

Being the recently elected R1 President it wouldbe difficult to define from that position.However, being Administrative Vice President ofR1 for four years and being in charge of policy itwas great to take that experience as chapterPresident and apply it toward updating the GRCBylaws, Job Descriptions, and policy documents.The Bylaws were terribly out of date and some ofthese documents mentioned never existed.Though this process took time to achieve it wasrewarding to bring the Chapter into a moreformal mode of operation.

3. Leaders often provide the vision andstrategy for an organization. How would youdescribe your vision for Great Rivers Chapter?How does this align with the overall strategyfor IECA?

All good leaders seek to utilize the talents fromthose who surround them. It takes a collectiveeffort from all involved to be successful. Toooften a President attempts to "do it all" and itjust isn't possible. The President is just oneperson and like anyone has strong and weak skillsets. That is why delegation is the key tosuccess. Everyone is good and bad at somethingand finding those strengths in all leaders makessuccess all the more possible. Region One hasspent the last three years developing a five yearStrategy Plan utilizing the strengths of all of itsBoard members through a cross pollinationprocess. The R1 Board hopes to vote on the finalStrategy Plan during its June Board meeting inDenver, but prior to that time will be presentedto the Presidents Council for feedback andapproval. Once that happens hopefully theoverall strategy will align for IECA collectively.

4. Great Rivers Chapter is relatively small

[email protected]

For 40 years, Land and Water hasbeen providing erosion control andstormwater professionals, practicalinformation and innovative solutionsto protect our soil and water

Exhibitors

ASP ENTERPRISES, INC.John [email protected] almost four decades, A.S.P.Enterprises has served the erosioncontrol industry with integrity andexpertise. ASP is the Midwest'sfull-line distributor of erosion-control, geosynthetics, storm watermanagement products, wall block,landscape pavers, and drainageproducts.

Miller SeedSteve [email protected]

Miller Seed is a fourth generationowned and operated seed company,specializing in Native grasses, coolseason grasses, wetland grasses, turfgrasses, fertilizers and erosioncontrol products.

Profile Products, LLCAdam Dibbleadibble@profileproducts.com847-353-2147www.profileproducts.comProfile Products manufactures anddistributes proven solutions that helpyou thrive in a competitiveenvironment while enhancing thenatural environment of the sites youserve.

TERRA NOVO, INCMark [email protected] have developed highly effective,affordable and environmentallyfriendly product lines for erosioncontrol and stomwaterrun-off...EarthGuard, EarthBound,


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compared to other IECA Chapters. However, inrecent years we have gained notoriety. Basedon your current position with IECA, wheredoes Great Rivers Chapter sit in terms ofothers among the organization? What can wedo to improve?

Though GRC is one of the smaller Chapters wehave some passionate members with desire toadvance the industry. This becomes very clearwhen attending an annual conference. The GRChas produced the current President of IECA, aswell as rising stars in the education andleadership arenas. Education is the key toeverything IECA and GRC contributes throughProfessional Development Committee leadershipas well as providing some of the leadinginstructors that put IECA education on themap.

5. Membership is what drives the success oforganizations like IECA. If I were to considermembership to IECA versus anotherorganization, what do you see IECA offeringthat tips the scale?

Outstanding education in a variety of expertiseareas, networking with leading authorities in theindustry in a non-competitive environment, avast amount of resources for research anddevelopment of products and services, aninfluential conduit with federal and stategovernments, and much more.

A misunderstanding exists in the associationworld when a member feels "they have not beenserved" by their association. While that may betrue there are normally contributing factors suchas limited membership, limited participation andmany other factors. Those who receive the mostfrom an association membership are those whocontribute their time and efforts. The size of anybounty is based on its number of producers.

Hopefully this spring treats you well as we beginanother year of serving you, the members ofIECA Great Rivers Chapter.

Fusion, etc...

Stay Connected

SAVE THE DATE!

Great Connections2016

The Great Rivers Chapter andThe Great Lakes Chapter willco-host a conference inLa Crosse, WI in 2016.

Do you have ideas forcontent?

Would you like to be on thePlanning Committee?

Would you like to be aSponsor?

CONTACT US TODAY!

MEMBER HIGHLIGHT

Mike Wolfe is the Erosion ControlSpecialist for the City of CedarRapids, IA. He joined to City in 2014and has worked in the erosion controlfield for the last 7 years throughoutEastern Iowa. Within the City Mike isresponsible for inspection andenforcement of the MS4 permit, planreview and approval for NPDES sites,Erosion Control Permitting and publicinvolvement regarding drainage anderosion issues. He conductsinspections of all storm water basinsthroughout the city limits, utilizesGPS to take elevation shots of storm


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Brock Peters, President

IECA Great Rivers Chapter

P.S. Did you know Great Rivers Chapter has anew Linkedin page? Please join us there for greatdiscussions and articles as well as event notices.

sewer structures for flood responseand planning. Mike oversees designand implementation of seeding andstabilization on City projects.

Mike graduated for the University ofIowa with a BA in Geography in 2007working for a local landscapingcompany throughout his time there.After graduation he got a job withSoil-Tek starting his career in theerosion control industry. He traveledthroughout Eastern Iowa as a SWPPPinspector working on manychallenging job sites from enormousindustrial construction to small highline tower replacement in very remoteareas of Northeastern Iowa. All theexperiences this job had provided forhim helped to land the job with theCity of Cedar Rapids.

In his free time Mike enjoys his twokids, Hudson 5, Violet 2 and his wifeof 6 years Alexis. Being outside withinNature is very important to him andhis family, and they spend much oftheir time hiking and camping. WhenViolet is a little older canoeing willcome back into their lives as it was abig part before the kids. Mike mostlyenjoys his time in the streams ofNortheastern Iowa with his fly rod andnative Brooke Trout.

Combatting Flash Floods in Southeast Iowa

The small town of Kalona, Iowa has set the course for a re-imagining of a portion ofSalvesen Creek, which is an integral part of the English River Watershed. Spurred intoaction by chronic flash flooding, city administrators have been seeking advice from abroad range of experts in order to prevent further damage and save some residentsfrom the financial burden of mandatory flood insurance.

Findings of an investigation by the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa indicatethat the bulk of Kalona's flash flooding problems are symptoms of upstream farmingpractices, increased stormwater inputs from new housing developments, and a streamchannel choked by debris. While the master plan for water resources improvementsincludes approaches for counteracting all of these elements, the city has decided tokick off the project with a high visibility effort right in town.One of the immediate consequences of the high flows that have been reaching Kalonaare the highly eroded banks along Salvesen Creek, one of the town's main waterways.In a 1,500 foot semi-urban stretch of this creek, the erosion has become so bad thatsome landowners adjacent to the waterway are in danger of losing trees or structuresfrom their back yards. Using State Revolving Funds, the Kalona team plans to create a


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A preliminary floodplain map of Kalona, Iowa, prepared byresearch engineers and students at the Iowa Flood Center

Salvesen Creek current conditions at project area

new channel for this stretch ofstream that will incorporate thefollowing strategies:

Re-meandering: Like many Iowawaterways, the current channel wasstraightened in the 1930s and 40s.The new channel will better replicatea natural stream. Moving the channelaway from private property lines willallow more space for decreasing bankslopes, reducing the need f or rip rapand other unsightly bank "armoring"that must be used to stabilize steeperslopes.


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The English River Watershed Management Authority aims toimprove land and water management practices along the

English River and its tributaries.

Two-Stage Banks:Improved bank stability, storage, andwater quality will be achieved using atwo-stage bank system that mimics anatural floodplain. This design allowssediment to settle out, and improvesaquatic habitat and infiltration ratesduring fl ood events. Additionally,the former channel will beredesigned as a bioswale to catch andfilter urban runoff before it reachesthe stream.

Native Vegetation: Banks andsurrounding areas will be planted withnative vegetation, providing habitat and preventing erosion more effectively thanshallow rooted turf grass.

Draw Public Attention and Support for Further Work: A prairie park with naturetrails and educational plaques is being planned for the west bank of the new channel.Visitors and residents of the Salvesen Watershed will be able to learn about prairiehabitat and the ways that they can continue to improve the water quality and floodsituation in their area.The team members leading this project include City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh,English River Watershed Coordinator Jody Bailey, HBK Engineering LLC, Garden andAssociates LTD, the Iowa Department of Land and Agriculture, the Natural ResourcesConservation Service, and the Iowa Flood Center

Researcher's Corner -- St. Anthony Falls Laboratory: A ResourceWithin a Resource


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By: Rebecca Kauten, MPP, CISEC

Located both along and within the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities metro area, theSt. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) conducts innovative research on water quality,watershed management and applied sciences that help make important decisionsabout our changing natural world.

SAFL researchers take an interdisciplinary approach to environmental problems,focusing on how the fluid and sediment dynamics of surface processes interact withbiological and chemical processes. Projects include both laboratory- and field-scalestudies of these processes in order to develop quantitative, predictive computationalmodels that support sustainable landscape management.In recent years, research has focused on both practical solutions applied to thelandscape for stormwater management, as well as broad-scale modeling and researchfor large watershed plans and TMDL development. In many instances the work of theSAFL lab has led to innovation, economic opportunities and localized decision makingbased on scientific data. Examples include what is known today as the "SAFL Baffle,"or a re-designed storm drain inlet/insert to remove large solid pollutants, includingsediment. Developed in the St. Anthony Falls lab, this product is now commerciallyavailable by a Minnesota-based company.

Watershed-scale work includes modeling and planning for major rivers and lakes,including the St. Croix scenic riverway and the popular boating and recreationdestination, Lake Pepin. For urban areas, The goal of SAFL urban environmentalresearch is to understand, quantify, and simulate the interaction of physical processessuch as stormwater runoff, particle settling and transport, chemical and nutrienttransport and transformation, emerging contaminants, and microbiological processesin lakes and rivers. This helps us to better understand urban sprawl effects on waterquality and aquatic habitat as well as possible mitigation solutions.The St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Stormwater Research team produces a regularnewsletter that provides insight to recent and upcoming research, as well astechnological innovations, new discoveries in related science, and opportunities forboth academic researchers and stormwater professionals. To subscribe, visithttp://stormwater.safl.umn.edu/.

The Great Rivers Chapter of The International Erosion Control Association (GRIECA) |(970) 846-9015 | [email protected] | http://greatriversieca.org/


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