Location: Sac County, Indian Creek watershed, Raccoon River basin
Timeline: Completed February 2010
Partners: Iowa DNR
Funding: Environmental Protection Agency 319 program, Ducks Unlimited, Iowa DNR

Project highlights:

Ducks Unlimited partnered with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to restore the 45-acre Kiowa Marsh located just off of Highway 20 in Sac County. The marsh is located in the Indian Creek watershed, which flows directly into the North Raccoon River, a major water source for Iowa's largest and most populated city. The Kiowa Marsh complex performs an important function in filtering excess sediment and pollutants from runoff water that enters downstream waters.

Kiowa Marsh is now part of a 1,200-acre public Wildlife Management Area owned and managed by the Iowa DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To restore natural wetland functions back to the marsh, DU engineers designed and constructed an earthen levee and installed a box culvert structure to periodically manipulate water levels. This structure was also designed with a fish barrier to deter non-native fish, like common carp, from entering and destroying the ecological balance of the wetland. 

The improvements to Kiowa Marsh will make the complex a go-to site for waterfowl and pheasant hunters, as well as birders and wildlife enthusiasts – all while helping improve water quality. Kiowa Marsh is owned and managed by the Iowa DNR. The Kiowa Marsh restoration project is part of DU's Living Lakes Initiative.