The English River watershed will be one of nine watersheds that stand to benefit from a statewide improvement project called the Iowa Watersheds Approach. Just three years ago, flooding caused the English River to crest at 22.47 feet in Kalona, and washed out nearly 38 miles of roads in Iowa County. In January of this year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development granted the state of Iowa $96.9 million for the statewide program. The project has many goals, including the reduction of flood risk, improvement of water quality, increased statewide resilience, and the development of a replicable program for other communities where the landscape has lost its resilience due to flooding.

A kick-off meeting for the English River Watershed will be held on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Williamsburg Public Library. Local landowners, partners, and other interested parties are invited to attend to learn more about the IWA project. Washington County is part of the English River Watershed Management Authority.