Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) | NRCS Iowa
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Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI)

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Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI)

To improve the health of the Mississippi River Basin, including water quality and wildlife habitat, the Natural Resources Conservation Service is developing the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI). Through this new Initiative, NRCS and its partners will help producers in selected watersheds in the Mississippi River Basin voluntarily implement conservation practices that avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff; improve wildlife habitat; and maintain agricultural productivity.

These improvements will be accomplished through a conservation systems approach to manage and optimize nitrogen and phosphorous within fields to minimize runoff and reduce downstream nutrient loading. NRCS will provide producers assistance with a system of practices that will control soil erosion, improve soil quality, and provide wildlife habitat while managing runoff and drainage water for improved water quality.

The Initiative builds on the past efforts of producers, NRCS, partners, and other State and Federal agencies in the 13-State Initiative area to address nutrient loading in the Mississippi River Basin. Nutrient loading contributes to both local water quality problems and the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The participating states are Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

Application Cutoff

NRCS accepts and processes MRBI applications on a continuous basis. However, NRCS sets dates to prioritize applications as funding allows. The next application cutoff date for Fiscal Year 2021 applications is Dec. 18, 2020.

Videos

  • USDA Video: Limiting Runoff From Nutrient Application (YouTube) - Sept. 16, 2011
  • Nature Conservancy Videos
    • Boone River Conservation: Why Strip-Till and Cover Crops Matter (YouTube)
    • How Bioreactors are Making a Difference in the Boone River Watershed (YouTube)

Iowa MRBI 2021 Projects

  • 2021 Announcement of MRBI Projects (PDF)
  • Statewide Iowa Map showing new and existing fiscal year 2021 project locations (PDF)
Project Name Counties Lead Sponsor Project Area Map Fact Sheets  NRCS Contact

Slocum Creek Watershed

 

Pottawattamie East Pottawattamie SWCD
  • Slocum Creek-West Nishnabotna River
PDF PDF

712-482-6408

Cedar Creek

​

Wapello, Jefferson, Keokuk Wapello SWCD
  • Buckeye Creek
  • Wolf Creek-Cedar Creek
  • Competine Creek
PDF   641-856-3893

Deep Creek

​

Plymouth, Cherokee, O'Brien, Sioux Plymouth SWCD
  • Lower Deep Creek - Floyd River
  • Upper Deep Creek - Floyd River
PDF PDF

Bridget Durst
712-546-8858

Eagle Creek/Prairie Creek (Boone River)

 

Kossuth, Humboldt, Wright, Hancock Wright SWCD
  • Headwaters Eagle Creek
  • Little Eagle Creek
  • Eagle Creek
  • Drainage Ditch 117
  • Drainage Ditch 116
  • Headwaters Prairie Creek
  • Drainage Ditch 118 - Prairie Creek

Eagle Creek

Prairie Creek

PDF 515-532-2165

Lower Skunk River

​

Jefferson, Henry, Van Buren, Lee Jefferson SWCD
  • Birmingham
  • Cedar Creek
  • Fish Creek
  • Little Cedar Creek
  • Summer Creek
  • Wolf Creek
PDF PDF Doug Ensminger
319-385-2824

Turkey River (Clayton Co Watersheds)

​

Clayton Clayton SWCD
  • Upper Roberts Creek
  • Silver Creek
  • Howard Creek
PDF PDF Pat Schaefers
563-245-1048

West Branch Floyd River

 

Sioux Sioux SWCD
  • Village of Maurice
  • Unnamed Tributary
  • Orange City Slough
  • Village of Middleburg
PDF PDF Justin Boersma 712-737-2253

West Fork Crooked River

 

Washington, Keokuk Washington SWCD
  • Upper West Fork Crooked Creek
  • Middle West Fork Crooked Creek
  • Lower West Fork Crooked Creek
PDF PDF Tony Maxwell
319-653-2138

Walnut Creek

 

Pottawattamie, Montgomery, Page, Fremont Montgomery SWCD
  • Whipple
  • Crabapple
  • Climax
PDF PDF
Bryan Shupe
712-542-5484
 
Headwaters North Raccoon Buena Vista, Pocahontas, Palo Alto, Clay Buena Visa SWCD
  • Headwaters North Raccoon River
  • Lateral 6
  • Lateral 4
  • Lateral 2
  • Drainage Ditch 67
  • Drainage Ditch 101
  • Headwaters Little Cedar Creek
  • Headwaters Cedar Creek
  • Little Cedar Creek
  • Drainage Ditch 21 - Cedar Creek
PDF   Larette Kolbe 712-732-3096
Mud Creek Benton, Tama, Black Hawk Benton SWCD
  • Wolf Creek
  • Rock Creek-Cedar River
  • Pratt Creek
  • Hinkle Creek
  • Mud Creek
  • Opossum Creek
  • Wildcat Creek
PDF   Michelle German 319-214-4032
Central Turkey River Winneshiek, Fayette, Chickasaw, Howard Winneshiek SWCD
  • Bohemian Creek
  • Otter Creek-Turkey River
  • Burr Oak Creek-Turkey River
  • Wonder Creek
  • Brockamp Creek-Turkey River
  • Rogers Creek
PDF   Todd Duncan
563-382-4352
North Branch Turkey River Howard, Winneshiek Howard SWCD
  • North Branch Turkey River
  • South Branch Turkey River
  • Chihaks Creek Turkey River
PDF   Corey Brink
563-547-3040
Middle Cedar Black Hawk, Tama Black Hawk SWCD
  • Miller Creek
  • Headwaters Miller Creek
  • Rock Creek
PDF   Shaffer Ridgeway
319-296-3262
South Skunk - Headwaters Cedar Creek Mahaska, Keokuk, Wapello Mahaska SWCD
  • Ballinger Creek-South Skunk River
  • Spring Creek-South Skunk River
  • Snyder Creek-South Skunk River
  • Headwaters Cedar Creek
PDF   Kevin Funni
641-638-3410

National MRBI Information

Contact:
Mustapha Abouali, EQIP Coordinator
Phone: 515-284-4262

Video: This American Land - Farming the Upstream

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