Bloody Run Creek - An Outstanding Iowa Water
Some places are special. Bloody Run Creek is one of the best trout streams we have, and one of only 32 streams designated an Outstanding Iowa Water. Clean water belongs to all of us. If we cannot protect the best we have, then nothing can be protected. It’s time to speak up. As important as agriculture is to Iowa, there must be boundaries. Why do we farm if in the process we destroy what is precious, contaminate our aquifers and pollute our streams?
Outstanding Iowa Waters (OIW)
The 1972 Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) required states to enact water quality standards (WQS) that achieved the “fishable – swimmable – drinkable” goals of the act regardless of whether pollution was from “point-sources” like wastewater treatment plants, or from “non-point” sources like storm water runoff from agricultural operations. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO’s) were defined as potential point-sources of pollution because of the large volume of waste stored in one location and generally spread on specific locations over short periods of time. Supreme Beef LLC is a CAFO.
More than a decade ago Iowa created of a category of waters known under the Clean Water Act as Tier 2.5 waters, but referred to simply as “Outstanding Iowa Waters” (OIW) – deserving of special protection”. There are only 32 short stream segments, in this category. Bloody Run Creek is one of them. The designated portion of Bloody Run Creek is approximately 6.5 miles long, extending from the Hwy 18 crossing near Marquette, through the Bloody Run Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) up to and including the world-famous Spook Cave tourist attraction. Note that the Supreme Beef site, and much of the manure spreading, is within the “no degradation zone” identified by the DNR for this Outstanding Iowa Water.
The History of Bloody Run Creek and Trout
With a thriving population of naturally reproducing brown trout, supplemented by Iowa DNR stocking of 10,000 rainbow and brook trout annually, Bloody Run Creek is among the top 10 of Iowa’s 80-plus trout waters, and one of the cleanest streams in the state. Link to DNR’s Bloody Run Creek information.
A 2016 survey estimated nearly 18,000 fishing trips to Bloody Run, which the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service calculated to bring more that $800,000 in economic benefits to the region. About 6.5 miles of stream include private land, public walk-in areas, and a zone restricted to artificial lures and a 14-inch minimum size on brown trout, along with a county park with easy access for anglers with limited mobility. Thus, different segments of the stream appeal to purist dry-fly fishermen and fisherwomen, as well as lawn chair bobber-and-worm trout seekers.
The Iowa DNR’s 1,120-acre Bloody Run Wildlife Management Area includes several miles of the wild creek valley, while Clayton County’s 135-acre Bloody Run County Park protects a lower stretch bordering a popular campground. The DNR also recently acquired an easement providing better fishing access just downstream from the privately owned Spook Cave and Campground. The state and county have invested heavily in protecting Bloody Run Creek and improving the fishing and access. State land acquisitions over the decades have totaled about $1.17 million. Stream improvements have cost another $200,000. The actual cost of producing and stocking a trout is about $2.70, meaning the DNR spends about $27,000 annually to stock Bloody Run.