Water Quality Concerns

Iowa water quality is being put to the test... Sample results of spring runoff in the State's waterways have led officials to look at farming practices on frozen ground. Measurements beginning the first part of March, when periods of snowmelt were being experienced, showed some increased ammonia levels in municipal water systems. According to The Des Moines Register, the capital city of Iowa, Des Moines, which uses the Raccoon River, to provide drinking water needed to implement auxillary plans to keep up supplies for all its constituents. Researching the issue has opened other avenues of why we are seeing conditions on our lakes and rivers that have influenced oxygen supplies for our fish. I don't want to infringe on copywritten information. So, to be safe I will give you the urls I found particulary informative. These sources may not have Iowa based information. However, they clearly spell out what I would like to share, about the science behind some of the problems we experience in the Spring after ice and snow melts. IMPORTANT WATER QUALITY FACTORS INFORMATION: www.h2ou.com/h2wtrqual.htmhttp://anchoragecreeks.org/pages/water_quality/fire_creek.php

April Showers Bring May Flowers

APRIL Showers...Bring MAY flowers! Well, it started off with showers this morning. The contrast from today to tomorrow, and beyond is that we are going to be seeing the sun and get up to the upper 50's and beyond. HURRAY!!! This little Junco was the only bird that would sit still long enough for me to take its picture. Had the WHOLE suet cake to himself. The bluejays,cardinals, chick-a-dees, downy and hairy woodpeckers, red bellied sapsuckers,and nuthatches all took flight when the backdoor swung open ...

Pictures for the photo album..."Remember the last Iowa Spring snow on April 3rd, 2008. " Famous last words?