Beginning in summer 2025, Polk County, the city of Ankeny, and various partners are undertaking a massive effort to restore the health and resilience of Fourmile Creek. To document this project and evaluate its outcomes, the Applied Geomorphology Lab (AGL) and the EBOW Lab (Ecology and Biogeochemistry of Watersheds) at Iowa State are monitoring various aspects of the creek's condition before and after restoration. Although the restoration effort includes portions of the Fourmile Creek corridor throughout Polk County, our focus is on three stream reaches in north Ankeny.
As work proceeds from 2025 onward, the faculty and student research teams will be making various different kinds of measurements. Among other things, this will include:
- Walking the channel to observe bed and bank condition and sediment properties
- Characterizing aquatic habitat
- Sampling stream water
- Sampling bed and bank sediments
- Collecting and identifying fish and stream invertebrates
- Surveying stream and floodplain topography
If you live in the area, you may see ISU vehicles parked nearby and researchers wading the creek or climbing the banks collecting data and maintaining sensors. Say hi, feel free to ask questions if you're curious, and check back in to this web page for periodic updates!