Linn Soil & Water Conservation District
3025 7th Ave
Marion, IA 52302
319-377-5960, Ext. 3
319-377-3117, Fax
 

Mission Statement: The Linn Soil and Water Conservation District promotes the protection,
maintenance, improvemnent, and wise use of the soil and water within Linn County.

 


Linn County is located in East Central Iowa. It's 463,661 acres makes it one of the larger counties in the state. Linn County is very diverse and complex in its land, its farms, and its people.
Land in Linn County ranges from flat with drainage problems to very steep with severe erosion and gullies. According to the Linn County Soil Survey, there are 176 soil types in the county, more than any county in Iowa. Soils range from heavy clay, too impervious to drain, to coarse sand and gravel. Linn County has more sandy soil than any county in Iowa. This creates a serious hazard for wind erosion. About 16 percent of the land has limestone bedrock at shallow (0 to 15 feet) depth. The range is from being found on the surface to being over 200 feet in depth. Shallow limestone has created serious problems with the ground water contamination. Karst topography and sinkholes in some areas of Linn County are causing deteriorating ground water quality. Intensive cropping on moderate slopes creates serious soil erosion hazards for much of Linn County's cropland.

Almost every type of farm imaginable is represented in Linn County ranging from the 40 acre to
3000 acre livestock and grain farms, to forage game, fur, and even one to ten acre fruit and
vegetable farms.

 


 

 

Rapid development contrinues to occur in the large
and small cities of Linn County. This development
increases the surface run off amount and intensity
throughout the county because of additional impervious
sufaces like parking lots, roofs, roads, etc...

All SWCD programs and services are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, or handicap. Photos courtesy of USDA NRCS.