Washington, D.C.—Iowa Congressman Steve King announced Tuesday that he has secured $1.2 million for the Hungry Canyons Alliance Project in H.R. 4766, the Fiscal Year 2005 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. 

“Western Iowa is graced with unique, windblown loess soil that was deposited at the end of the last Ice Age.  As marshes were drained and developed into farmland, many streams were straightened with steeper stream grades,” King said.  “Steeper grades have unfortunately resulted in increased velocity.  This, coupled with the highly erosive nature of the loess soil, has caused streambeds to be down-cut quickly.” 

The Hungry Canyons Alliance works to research and implement solutions to the problems associated with stream channel erosion.  Each structure allows the stream elevation to drop in a controlled setting, thus preventing further degradation. 

“The $1.2 million secured in the Agriculture Appropriation bill will go a long way toward preventing stream channel erosion,” King concluded.