Farmers Creek (Iowa)

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Farmers Creek
Farmers Creek La Motte.jpg
Farmers Creek in La Motte, Iowa
Location
Country United States
State Iowa
County Jackson County
Physical characteristics
Mouth North Fork Maquoketa River
 • coordinates
 42°09′01″N90°40′04″W / 42.15036°N 90.66779°W / 42.15036; -90.66779
Length18.09 miles (29.11 km)
Basin size47.8 square miles (124 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionNorth Fork Maquoketa→ Maquoketa→ Mississippi→ Gulf of Mexico
Cities La Motte, Iowa

Farmers Creek is a stream in Jackson County, Iowa, [1] a tributary of the North Fork Maquoketa River. The creek passes through the city of La Motte. [2]

Contents

Hydrology

Farmers Creek is 18.09 miles (29.11 km) long, [3] and its watershed is 47.8 square miles (124 km2) in area. The creek has a steep topography, increasing erosion along the stream. [2] It is a part of the Maquoketa River Watershed. [4]

History

Farmers Creek suffered from fish kills in 1997 and 1998. The 1997 event killed 133,000 fish while the 1998 event killed 4,264. [2] The creek was placed onto Iowa's list of Impaired Waters in 2002. [5] In 2005, the Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District launched a five-year watershed project. With cooperation from farmers and landowners, protective measures for the stream were installed. [2]

In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency designated it for A1 primary contact recreation use and BWW2 warmwater aquatic life. [3]

Farmers Creek was delisted from the list of Impaired Waters in 2022 through the improvement of its biological integrity. [4]

References

  1. ↑ "Farmers Creek". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kurth, Jennifer (2021). "Farmers Help Bring Back Life to Farmers Creek" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency . Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Farmers Creek IA 01-NMQ-94". Iowa Department of Natural Resources . Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Masters, Clay (July 15, 2022). "How one small watershed got off Iowa's list of hundreds of water impairments". Iowa Public Radio . Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  5. ↑ Turner, Michelle (December 23, 2008). "Farmers Creek Watershed Project Watershed Improvement Review Board Final Report" (PDF). Iowa Publications Online. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
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