The water quality project being done in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) is located on the Webster — Calhoun county line.

“This project includes two solar pumps that will pump water out of Lizard Creek when the conditions are right and store water in the wetlands and oxbow basin so it can be treated,” said Webster County Conservation Director Matt Cosgrove. “Oxbows and wetlands are our main water quality enhancers.”

According to Cosgrove, enhancements were done two years ago that included stream bank restoration on 2,000 feet of creek bank.

“This is the next phase of the project,” said Cosgrove.

The project is fully funded by a grant through IDALS with the county incurring the initial expense and then being fully reimbursed. The marsh project is estimated at $450,000. On Tuesday, the supervisors approved a contract with Empire Excavation, of Arthur, for $349,595.50 for work on the project.

According to Cosgrove, construction work will begin in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The project has an early October completion date scheduled as the Webster County Conservation staff plans to do the seeding following the project and needs to have that completed before mid-October.

Cosgrove also told the supervisors that the Gowrie Trail ribbon cutting is scheduled for 4 p.m. today in Laurel Park in Gowrie. Cosgrove said work on the Dayton Trail project should begin next week and hopefully be completed before the annual Dayton Rodeo held over Labor Day weekend.

The supervisors also approved a new fiscal year contract and amendment to the child support staffing contract between the county and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Child Support Services. The amendment includes a data exchange revision to the current contract for the Social Security Administration’s Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act Agreement.

“We ensure that families receive the child support that they need to be able to meet the financial and health needs of their children,” said Alyssa Sparks, supervisor for the Fort Dodge Child Support Office. “We establish paternity. We establish child support. We modify child support. We enforce child support orders. We are celebrating our 50th anniversary this year. The Webster County staffing contract has been in place since the inception of the state child support office.”

Sparks noted that in fiscal year 2024, the Fort Dodge office collected $11.5 million in current child support and nearly $2.7 million in arrears support.

“The Fort Dodge office does a great job on behalf of Iowa’s children,” Sparks told the supervisors.