DES MOINES – As part of an effort to develop a statewide drought preparedness plan, the Iowa DNR and partners will host three of four public stakeholder meetings this week, and a virtual meeting in August to gather ideas and input. DNR’s coordinator of hydrology resources Tim Hall says  “Iowa has been through significant droughts in 1988, 2012 and 2021. While the state responded well to those events, a statewide drought plan would allow for better coordination between agencies, better communication, and improved response.”

A number of state agencies have come together to develop such a drought plan for Iowa, including the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. An important part of drought planning efforts is the collection of ideas and experiences from Iowans. To gather information, the agencies will host a series of public stakeholder meetings. A meeting was held July 6th, in Iowa Falls, and another is set for July 21st, in Cedar Rapids.

An Online-only meeting will be held 9-a.m. Aug. 3rd. Details on the virtual session will be released closer to the meeting date. In western Iowa, the drought plan meetings will be held in:

• Sioux City:
  July 20, 9 a.m.
  Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, 101 Pierce St.
  Register for Sioux City Drought Planning Meeting

• Creston:
  July 22, 9 a.m.
  Southwestern Community College, 1501 West Townline St.
  Register for Creston Drought Planning Meeting

Monthly reports on drought conditions in Iowa can be found in the Water Summary Update.