Des Moines River Research Articles

Distribution of the Fishes of Boone County, Iowa, with Special Reference to the Minnows and Darters

Boone 'County has a total area of 569 square miles and lies entirely in the Wisconsin drift soil area. Over 90 per cent of the county is rich farm land. Carrington loam, which is a very fertile soil, covers over 40 per cent of the county, and is confined mainly to rolling land bordering the creeks and smaller streams (Stevenson and Brown 1924). Boone County is interesting from a distributional viewpoint in that its watershed is drained by two separate river systems, both of which are part of the Mississippi system. The greater portion of the county is in the Des Moines River system. This river passes through Boone 'County about midway in its course, cutting a deep valley in otherwise rolling to flat land. At one point in the county, the total drainage of the river is 5,610 square miles. The stream gradient is 1.5 feet per mile in the lower 300 miles, including Boone County (U. S. 71st Congress Report). The bottom of the river is chiefly sand-gravel, with sand-silt, rubble and boulders in limited areas. The channel at low water stages varies in depth from 1.5 to 4 feet and the width of the river from approximately 100 to 250 feet. Deep holes are present below bars and at bends. In the Des Moines River 721 collections were taken at 17 places with 10, 20, and 30 feet common sense minnow seines (Fig. 1). Wire minnow traps were also used at a few locations.

Effect of Recent Floods on Iowa's Water Supply

Three major storms were experienced. The first, covering southwest and south central Iowa, occurred during the afternoon and night of June 4-5. Heavy downpours over many sections in Dallas, Polk, Warren, Madison, Lucas, Mills and Montgomery counties resulted in immediate flash floods. Over 5 in. of rain fell within 18-24 hours at Van Meter, Indianola, Winterset and Glenwood. The North, Middle, South and White Breast rivers reached flood stage almost at once. At Van Meter on the Raccoon, and near Winterset on Middle River, readings were at record heights. The Des Moines River below Des Moines rose

Food Habits of the Southern Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Lacustris Punctatus) in the Des Moines River, Iowa

Abstract The stomach contents of 912 channel catfish (769 containing food) taken in a short section of the Des Moines River from September, 1940, to October, 1941, are analyzed. The physical and biotic characteristics of the study area are described; a partial list of the fishes present together with comments on their importance and relative abundance is included. The channel catfish is omnivorous, as is revealed by a review of the pertinent literature and by this study. A wide variety of organisms is eaten (some 50 families of insects alone are represented–these are listed). Insects and fish serve as staple foods, plant seeds are taken in season, and various other items are eaten in limited numbers. The principal groups of foods (insects, fish, plants, and miscellaneous) are analyzed volumetrically, by frequency of occurrence, and numerically. In the area studied, catfish grow at a rate of about 4 inches a year during the first 3 years of life (determined by length-frequency analysis). These natural size...

Paratyphoid Infection in the Northern White-Footed Mouse in Central Iowa

On August 3, 1940, trapping of the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis (Fischer), was begun both in the Des Moines River Valley in Boone County and in the woods surrounding Iowa State College in Story County. These mice were to be used as experimental hosts for rodent warble infection. From the date trapping commenced until November 2, 1940, several mice were found in the live traps either dead or wavering on their feet. Others died after being in captivity from two to five days. This condition led to the following investigation.

The New Water Purification Plant at Ottumwa, Iowa

Journal AWWAVolume 26, Issue 2 p. 260-270 Article The New Water Purification Plant at Ottumwa, Iowa Horace A. Brown, Horace A. Brown Superintendent Water Works, Ottumwa, Ia.Search for more papers by this author Horace A. Brown, Horace A. Brown Superintendent Water Works, Ottumwa, Ia.Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 February 1934 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1551-8833.1934.tb18361.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume26, Issue2February 1934Pages 260-270 RelatedInformation

The Story of "The Des Moines River Lands. "

The Story of "The Des Moines River Lands. "

The Gallery Collecting System of the Des Moines Water Company, Des Moines, Iowa

The Des Moines Water Company is one of the pioneers, if not the first, to develop its water supply thoroughly by means of infiltration galleries. A number of cities have water supplies developed from underlying sand and gravel strata by means of wells but few, if any, have adopted the method used here. In order to understand the practical application of this method, it will be necessaryfirst to fix clearly in mind the fundamental features of the waterbearing area, before undertaking to follow through the various stages of its development. The water is obtained primarily from the Raccoon River. This stream lies in a southwesterly direction from Des Moines and discharges into the Des Moines River in the heart of the city. It has a drainage area of 3677 square miles above the city and a minimum flow of sufficient quantity to more than meet the needs of the city for years to come. The most interesting feature of the river, from a water supply standpoint, is the geology of its valley in the vicinity of Des Moines. Here we find a broad valley, nearly 100 feet deep and a mile wide, which has been eroded in the clay, shale and rock of the natural topography and extending for many miles upstream with relatively steep sides, terminating in rolUng plains above. It is evident that this valley was eroded by a preglacial stream which eventually cut its way to a hard bottom and later covered this bottom with clean sand and fine gravel brought down from the glaciers, and then, at a still later period, covered this gravel bed with from 5 to 10 feet of alluvium. As might be expected, this stratum of sand and gravel terminates at the foothills on either side but extends upstream for many miles. Borings have shown this to be true and many made by the Water Company affirm the fact that it is from 10 to 30 feet in thickness, very clean and uniform in size. An analysis of the bor-

Annals of Iowa [Steam boat to run on the Des Moines River

Annals of Iowa [Steam boat to run on the Des Moines River

History of Steamboating on the Des Moines River, From 1837 to 1862

History of Steamboating on the Des Moines River, From 1837 to 1862

The Lower Rapids of the Mississippi River

Previous articleNext article FreeThe Lower Rapids of the Mississippi RiverFrank LeverettFrank Leverett Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Geology Volume 7, Number 1Jan. - Feb., 1899 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/608284 Views: 48 PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Des Moines River, and Origin of the Name

Des Moines River, and Origin of the Name