Upper west branch Pecatonica River watershed (SP10)

The Upper west branch Pecatonica River watershed is in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Lafayette counties. The principle land use in the watershed is agriculture, dominated by row crop cultivation. Two small permittees discharge to surface water in the watershed, the communities of Rewey and Cobb. The Upper west branch Pecatonica River Priority watershed plan detailed many of the problems caused by sources of polluted runoff in the watershed (WRM, 1982).

The DNR did nonpoint source evaluation monitoring of sites in the watershed and concluded that the best management practices installed were effective in reducing agricultural nonpoint source pollution. A detailed report of the evaluation monitoring effort, Upper west branch Pecatonica River Priority Watershed Project: Bioassessment Final report, is available through the Bureau of Water Resources Management.