Raccoon River near Jefferson
A new report slates the Raccoon River in Iowa as one of the most endangered rivers in the United States.
According to the report by American Rivers and their annual publication of “America’s Most Endangered Rivers,” the Raccoon River ranked ninth. Rippey resident, farmer and chair of the Raccoon River Watershed Association Chris Henning says the Raccoon River is the main source of drinking water for 500,000 people in Des Moines, along with providing drinking water supplies to small towns along the length of the river.
RRWA was first established in 2005 with the goals of preserving and enhancing the river and its watershed through education, research, community engagement and partnerships. The organization has worked to engage and help landowners and farmers with better environmental practices such as buffers, cover crops, no-till, increased soil health, crop diversity and using wetlands to reduce erosion, increase water infiltration and improve overall water quality.
Henning notes she uses some of these practices on her own farmland and they have worked to keep the water and soil on the land instead of running off into the river. Click the link below to see the full report.