Waverly Area Development Group to Discuss Water Quality with Urban Conservationist

The Waverly Area Development Group’s Safety Committee will discuss urban water quality issues with Wayne Peterson, Urban Conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 13, at their office at 112 West Bremer Avenue in Waverly.  Petersen’s talk, “Protecting Surface Water Quality with Smart Development,” will show how urban businesses, organizations and governments can improve water quality and reduce flooding for those downstream.   

Carol Jahnke, Economic Development Director of the Waverly Area Development Group says, “The WADG’s Safety Committee meets monthly to discuss safety in the workplace and community, OSHA, and more global topics and how industry can affect change.” 

According to Jahnke, members of the committee represent many large organizations, schools, and businesses in the community.  The committee members’ work improves the health, safety and environment for thousands of Waverly area people.

A native of Black Hawk County, Petersen will show how new concepts can merge economic health with ecological health, protect water quality, and enhance quality of life.  

“The key issue,” according to Petersen, “is how we can grow and do new development while reducing runoff and pollutant delivery for those downstream.”  

A conservationist for nearly 28 years, Petersen specializes in assisting local soil and water conservation districts develop urban conservation services to compliment NRCS’s watershed work on Iowa’s agricultural land.

In Waverly, the Bremer County Soil and Water Conservation District is located at 2504 E. Bremer Avenue.  NRCS District Conservationist Laura K. Wilden heads the office providing technical assistance to landowners and organizations that help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.    

< Back to 2004 News Releases