Watershed Program Evaluation: Honey Creek, Iowa

Excerpts from the Foreword: Honey Creek is a tributary of the Chariton River in Lucas County, Iowa. The Honey Creek Conservation Association was organized in 1949 through sponsorship of the Chariton Valley Conservation Association, incorporated under the State laws of Iowa. The Honey Creek Conservation Association, working with the Lucas County Soil Conservation District and using technical assistance from the Soil Conservation Service, informed local people of the nature of watershed protection and aroused their interest in establishing watershed improvements. The U. S. Department of Agriculture Appropriation Act of 1954 provided funds for a pilot watershed protection program involving 65 projects throughout the United States. Honey Creek Watershed was one. Using the earlier findings and achievements of the local organizations, the Soil Conservation Service prepared a plan of improvements (Work Plan, 1954) to alleviate watershed problems arising from soil erosion and uncontrolled runoff. The Department of Agriculture surveyed the pilot project to evaluate effects of the installed works of improvement. The surveys determined benefits to farmers and other groups from reducing runoff, erosion, and sedimentation, and the general effect on the area economy. The evaluations also provided data and analyses relevant to improving planning procedures and techniques applicable to similar watersheds.