Study examines social aspects of watershed planning
By Laura Miller, Newsletter Editor
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Squaw Creek headwaters |
Research shows that improving water quality is most successful when changes occur at a landscape or watershed level, but making such improvements can be a mammoth task.
Why? Some of it comes down to varying perceptions of water quality, says Iowa State University researcher Mimi Wagner. Water quality means different things to different people, and likewise, they hold different expectations of what quality is appropriate or necessary.
Wagner, an assistant professor in the ISU Department of Landscape Architecture, has been studying the social aspects of the Squaw Creek watershed as part of a $9,700 planning grant from the Leopold Center. Her research results will be used by the Squaw Creek Watershed Council as they look for ways to improve water quality in the 150,000-acre area that encompasses Boone, Story and Hamilton counties.
Wagner and one undergraduate student interviewed 59 people who live and work in the watershed, selected to represent six stakeholder groups. They included 16 farmers, 10 urban residents, 10 rural nonfarm residents, 20 business owners, developers and governmental officials and three people from Iowa State University. Each person was asked a series of open-ended questions and discussed topics after viewing photos taken within the watershed.
More than half of the people in the study used definitions of water quality (and impairments) that were inconsistent with those used by water quality specialists on the ISU campus.
“When many people see a newspaper headline about water quality, they assume the issue concerns their drinking water and not a lake or stream’s ability to sustain a fish population or plants,” Wagner said. “On the other hand, technical specialists include physical, chemical and biological characteristics in their definition of water quality and typically extend consideration to include non-human species.”
She noted that some of the same perceptions even led to different conclusions regarding water quality.
“Three residents perceived that the water quality in Squaw Creek was adequate for wildlife but was not okay for human consumption,” she said. “Two of those people cited this as evidence that the water quality was impaired, and the third person cited this as proof that the water quality was okay in Squaw Creek.”
Wagner said watershed planning that includes social considerations is more likely to succeed in the long run. Different views can be included early in the process, and become part of the public education efforts. “Clearly, watershed planners need to speak differently and be more aware of different expectations,” she said.
The Squaw Creek watershed is a glacial moraine that once had numerous wetlands and marshes. The area now has a high percentage of agricultural land with tile drainage, increased housing development, and rapidly expanding development along the urban-rural edge. The area drains into the South Skunk River.
Wagner has used this “rapid assessment” technique, which takes about two months to complete, for water quality projects in other areas. She worked with residents in Madison County, whose drinking water is supplied by Cedar Lake and has several known contaminants, and in the Briggs Woods watershed in Hamilton County, both of which are on the state “impaired waters” list. More recently, she has worked with the City of Ames as development begins on the new Ada Hayden Heritage Park and lake.
Back to Fall 2003 Leopold Letter
Published by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-3711
URL: www.leopold.iastate.edu