Members of the Decorah Sustainability Commission are collaborating with City of Decorah staff regarding a study of the historic Dry Run corridor flowing from shopping areas along Highway 9 through Downtown Decorah and adjacent residential areas to the Upper Iowa River.
This urban waterway provides a number of environmental benefits, from conveying stormwater to offering habitat for intown wildlife. The city’s Sustainability Plan, adopted in 2020, identifies a number of goals for addressing issues related to land use and air and water quality which touch on urban waterways. The City of Decorah has also received a grant through the Iowa Finance Authority’s Water Infrastructure Fund Program for several stormwater improvements within the watershed. This study will provide strategies to apply these goals to planned projects, and provide a roadmap for improving the waterway as a whole.
Decorah residents are invited to participate in creating the plan through several options. First, a survey is available online at https://arcg.is/HyeL4. The planning team is interested in collecting your feedback about issues related to the stream, as well as your observations about the corridor’s environment, history, and use.
A kickoff meeting will be held on Thursday, June 29, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting will provide an overview of the planning process, and gather ideas and concerns about the corridor. A second engagement opportunity will be held as a drop-in field visit on Sunday, July 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. to gather input on planned improvements in the area, including flood control measures in city-owned property along Mill Street and stormwater improvements at Phelps Park.
To learn more about the effort, a project website has been created at: https://www.decorahia.org/commission-and-boards/sustainability-commission/current-projects
For more information, contact Michelle Barness (mbarness@uerpc.org), Kevan Klosterwill (kevanjwilliams@gmail.com), or Jeremy Bril (cityengineer@decorah.iowa.gov).
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