Webster City Enhances Water Trail with Stormwater Wetland

Riverside Park is a green haven within Webster City, neighboring the Boone River. Some of Iowa’s most important water resources are housed within the Boone River. The city applied for and received a Water Quality Initiative Grant from IDALS to construct a stormwater wetland in 2015.

The project resides on a former campground that was transformed into a stormwater wetland and is now teeming with wildlife and vegetation. The wetland is also directly adjacent to the entrance of one of Iowa’s first Water Trails, an attraction that gets used by over 130,000 people per year, according to the City.

Judy Joyce, engineer at Impact7G, spoke to the technical aspects of the Webster City stormwater wetland.

“The wetland itself has several different zones and varieties of vegetation,” Joyce said. “Dividing the wetland into zones based on water depth and plant species is the key to treating the water effectively.”

Conservation aficionado Brian Stroner, Webster City’s Environmental Safety and GIS Coordinator, has been involved with the wetland project since 2015.

“It took at least two years to get to this point,” Stroner said of the biodiverse and vegetated wetland. “The whole thing is home to wildlife now, including geese, turtles, frogs, fish, owls and herrings.”

The Riverside Park wetland treats 32 acres of urban stormwater drainage flowing from its downtown commercial district. This impervious area contains many rooftops and pavement.

The stormwater runoff is naturally treated in the Riverside Park wetland before it flows into the Boone River. Four years since its inception, the Riverside Park stormwater wetland has proven to be a valuable and beautiful resource for the city.