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Homeowners Asked to Protect McLoud Run TroutMay 19, 2005
A coalition of conservation groups in Cedar Rapids is urging property owners within the McLoud Run Watershed to install a landscaping feature called a rain garden to protect the trout in McLoud Run Trout Stream. “Money is available to help landowners in the watershed design and install rain gardens to better protect Iowa’s only urban trout stream,” says John Bruene, District Conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. An unidentified contaminant entered McLoud Run Trout Stream last week killing over a hundred trout. This was the fourth significant fish kill on the stream in recent memory. The conservationists are promoting rain gardens as a buffer between rainwater runoff going directly from roads and roofs into city storm drains that dump directly into McLoud Run. According to Bruene, “Rain gardens can intercept runoff and reduce the amount of water that enters McLoud Run during storms. They reduce the chance of fish killing pollutants entering the stream and cool the hot summer runoff that can hurt trout.” Rain gardens are depressional areas landscaped with perennial flowers and native vegetation that soak up rainwater. These landscaping features are located to capture runoff from impervious surfaces such as streets, roofs and driveways and often add value to properties. Bruene says the grant money will pay homeowners in the McLoud Run Watershed 70 percent of the cost of installing a rain garden, up to $600, on their residential lot. For more information about rain gardens or to have a free professional evaluation of installing one on your property within the McLoud Run Watershed, call the Linn Soil and Water Conservation District at 319-377-5960, extension 3. The McLoud Run Trout Stream is four miles long, located in the northeastern section of Cedar Rapids alongside Interstate 380 and the Cedar River Trail. The 3,000-acre watershed extends between Noelridge Park and Rockwell Collins to the Wal-Mart Store on Blairs Ferry Road NE. Groups working to protect McLoud Run include the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa DNR, Prairieland Watershed Alliance, Izaak Walton League, USDA-NRCS, Coe College, Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association, Metro High School and Linn Soil and Water Conservation District. --30-- For more information, contact Gene Wolter or John Bruene at 319-377-5960, Ext 3. On the web: Contact:
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