North Raccoon
WMC Watershed
Plan

Client
North Raccoon WMC
Location
Storm Lake, IA
Size
2,470 square miles

This large regional plan addresses water quality and quantity issues for land draining to the North Raccoon River in Central and West Central Iowa, as well as areas draining to the river downstream of the confluence of the North and South Raccoon Rivers (including the western Des Moines metro area). 

The North Racoon River Watershed stretches nearly 2,500 square miles across 13 counties and varies geographically from rural to urban and everything in between. Over the course of several months our team put together a comprehensive, flood-first plan for the coalition. This watershed is one of nine district watersheds involved in the Iowa Watershed Approach for Urban and Rural Resilience program. In January 2016, the State of Iowa was awarded $97 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Iowa Watershed Approach. 

The North Raccoon River Watershed is located in Central and West Central Iowa. The stream and river network generally flows from northwest to southeast, reaching the confluence with the South Raccoon River near Van Meter. From there, the Raccoon River flows easterly towards Des Moines, where it merges with the Des Moines River, which is the downstream end of this watershed planning area.