Spring Branch Creek – Completed Fall 2025
Located downstream of the Manchester Fish Hatchery in Delaware County, this section of stream has become filled with deposition material such as sand and silt, resulting in habitat degradation. A plan was developed to assist with this issue. Multiple rock structures were installed, including J-Hooks, Bank Deflectors, Vortex Weirs, and a stream crossing for the landowner to access the other side of the stream. These features help increase the flow in specific areas of the channel, resulting in plunge pools, and exposing the rocky stream bed. These features will increase the diversity of insect life in the stream and allow trout to spawn more effectively. The stream will be assessed in future years, and additional features may be implemented. This work would not have been possible without lead funder, Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association, as well as the following contributors: Iowa DNR; Trout Unlimited Chapters: Driftless, North Bear, and Spring Creeks; Iowa’s Coldwater Conservancy; Maquoketa River WMA; and Trout Unlimited Driftless Area Restoration Effort.
