2019 SWCS International Annual Conference July 28-31, 2019 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1. Using Creek Signs to Build
Awareness of Creeks, Lake
Tributaries, and Watersheds in Iowa
Steve Hopkins, Nonpoint Source Coordinator
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
SWCS Annual Conference
July 29, 2019

2. Why Creek Signs?
• We spend millions of dollars every year
to fund conservation practices to
improve water quality in creeks when:
– few people see the practices
– don’t know where their runoff goes
– don’t know the name of their local creek
• If they don’t know the name of the creek,
they don’t care about it

3. Why Creek Signs?
• Iowa’s Nonpoint Source Management
Plan includes an objective to:
– launch a statewide water quality education
campaign
• completed statewide water quality survey
• findings indicate most Iowans don’t know the
name of their local creek
– creek signs help by creating awareness of
creeks, streams, and lakes

4. Why Creek Signs?
• Iowa DOT installs river signs, but not
creek signs
• Other states have creek signs, so why
not Iowa?
• Enhance awareness of watersheds
• So, DNR began the “Stream Sign
Initiative”

5. Iowa DNR & DOT Creeks Signs
• Iowa DNR funds Iowa DOT to install
creek signs in priority watersheds on
state and federal highways (EPA 319)
• 4 phases of sign projects done across
Iowa, (136 bridges, 272 signs)
• Sign costs: $150-$320 per installed sign
(sign & posts)

6. 4 Phases of DNR Creek Sign Initiative

7. Creek Sign Examples

8. Other Creek Sign Initiatives
• Western Iowa Sign Initiative
(Pottawattamie and Mills Counties)
• Polk County Public Works
• Prairie Rivers RC & D (Story County)
• Individual Watershed Projects
• Previous Sign Projects in Howard &
Clinton Counties

10. Number of Creek Signs
Installed to Date by Program
• DNR Initiative: 136 creek bridges (272 signs)
on state and federal highways
• Western Iowa: 154 bridges (308 signs) on
county, state, and federal roads
• Polk County: 95 creek bridges (190 signs) on
county roads
• Prairie Rivers: 105 creek signs, 50 watershed
signs in Story County
• Total: 925 signs

11. Variations of Signs
• “Source of __ Lake”
• “Tributary of” or “to”
• “Headwaters of”
• “Entering __ Watershed”

12. “Source of __ Lake”

13. “Tributary of” or “Flows to”

14. “Headwaters”

15. “Entering __ Watershed”

16. Citizen comments about signs:
• “I didn’t know that was Badger Creek”
• “I didn’t know my creek even had a
name”
• “I didn’t know Big Creek started up by
Highway 30”
• “I didn’t know Cedar Creek was the
source of Lake Geode!”
• “I like the signs. I hope we get more.”

17. Common Theme
• People drive over the same creek every
day and…
– never even know it has a name,
– don’t know where it flows, and
– know nothing about its water quality

18. Project Coordinator Observations
• 50% of comments: they didn’t know that was
the name of the creek
• Creek signs definitely enhanced awareness of
the watershed project
• Nearly all comments were positive
• One farmer against: feared signs would raise
concern for water quality
• One cattle producer excluded livestock from
the creek after a sign was installed

19. Evaluating the Influence of
Creek Signs
• Conduct pre- and post-signage surveys
of residents’ awareness of the creek
• Follow up questions about creek
awareness on Statewide WQ Survey
• Build student awareness of local creeks
(Cardinal Creek in Newton)
• More local & student creek monitoring
initiatives

20. Next Project
• Phase 5 of Iowa
DNR & Iowa DOT
Project
– 128 new signs on
priority creek bridges
across Iowa

22. My Favorite Type of Creek Sign
(from Maryland)

23. Questions?
Steve Hopkins, Nonpoint Source Coordinator, Iowa DNR
Watershed Improvement Section, 515-725-8390
Stephen.hopkins@dnr.iowa.gov