Walnut Creek (Raccoon River Tributary)
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Walnut Creek is a stream in
Polk Polk may refer to: People * James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States * Polk (name), other people with the name Places *Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois * Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Polk, Missouri ...
and
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
counties, in the U.S. state of
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
. It is a tributary of the Raccoon River.


Location and activities

Walnut Creek is an easily perceivable stream that is beside the Des Moines River and alongside 63rd Street. There are parks and trails by the creek with activities that include birdwatching, biking, art, and swimming. The water is the main source of drinkable water for the metro area and it is located above the Des Moines Water Works.


Environment

To solve concerns relating to the environment, a Watershed Management Authority was started to manage the creek and the
watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
. The Walnut Creek Watershed Management Authority manages in Dallas and Polk counties. The watershed authority has studied "nitrate, phosphorus, sediment, and pathogens" in the area. In July 2019, a
fish kill The term fish kill, known also as fish die-off, refers to a localized die-off of fish populations which may also be associated with more generalized mortality of aquatic life.University of Florida. Gainesville, FL (2005) ''Plant Management in Fl ...
was discovered along of the bottom of Walnut Creek and the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR or IA DNR) is a department/agency of the U.S. state of Iowa formed in 1986, charged with maintaining state parks and forests, protecting the environment of Iowa, and managing energy, fish, wild ...
worked to investigate the cause after it was reported many times. A 1979 environment impact report stated that flooding is common for Walnut Creek with high and brief peaks. A report was created in 1975 to determine how to protect
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
, and
West Des Moines, Iowa West Des Moines is a city in Polk County, Iowa, Polk, Dallas County, Iowa, Dallas, Warren County, Iowa, Warren, and Madison County, Iowa, Madison counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. A majority of the city is located in Polk County, a minority of ...
, from flooding by Raccoon River, Walnut Creek, and Jordan Creek. A major flood happened in 1973 and on May 10, 1986, the creek flooded and caused $6,300,000 in damage in
Clive, Iowa Clive is a city in Dallas and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 18,601. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clive is known for its Greenbelt Park and ...
. In 1986, a flood protection project was formed.


Naming

Walnut Creek was named for the
black walnut ''Juglans nigra'', the eastern American black walnut, is a species of deciduous tree in the walnut family, Juglandaceae, native to North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south t ...
trees which once lined the creek before early settlers cleared them.


See also

* List of rivers of Iowa


References

{{authority control Rivers of Dallas County, Iowa Rivers of Polk County, Iowa Rivers of Iowa