February 7, 2006
From: Story County Soil and Water District

Your Soil and Water Conservation District Office has a new computer CD, entitled The Rain on Your Roof. The CD was developed by the Clear Creek Watershed Project of the Johnson and Iowa County Soil and Water Districts and has been made available to us with help from the Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It includes rainwater management activities for all ages.

Students and adults can use the "Residential Rainwater Audit" feature on the CD to compare run-off from a one-inch rainfall using current practices (gutter and downspout) with best management practices such as a strategic landscaping and plantings.

An illustrated story entitled Finding Ol’Walleye tells of two water cycle journeys by "Clark Raindrop" and may be printed, read to and colored by younger children. Teachers may find this an interesting activity for their classrooms. A field guide for twelve rainwater management activities is designed for use with upper elementary aged children.

Also included on the CD is a 22-minute video from NRCS and a publication from the University of Wisconsin on how to build a rain garden. A rain garden is a simple landscaping practice that can help infiltrate water from your roof into the ground and provide an attractive wild flower garden at the same time. There are numerous links to information that can be found on the world wide web.

Contact the District Office in Nevada or call 515-382-2217 to get a free copy of this CD.

--Erv Klaas, Story Soil and Water District Commissioner

  Click here for Word Document version of the press release.