This summer, construction of several innovative urban stormwater conservation practices was completed as a part of a new Regional Urban Stormwater Demonstration Site at Northeast Iowa RC&D. The site, across from City Hall in Postville, Iowa, provides real-life examples of several different urban stormwater conservation practices, which were installed as a part of a partnership between the City of Postville, Northeast Iowa RC&D, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Alliant Energy, and others. It features several urban conservation practices, including rain gardens, bio-swales, soil amendments, and tree plantings, as well as bilingual interpretation depicting each practice. Each of the practices works independently and in tandem to reduce flooding and improve water quality but perhaps more importantly, the site is an outdoor classroom for community leaders, teachers and students from around the region. The RC&D has also developed lesson plans and hand-on learning for teachers and students who visit the site.
