Council accepts Iowa Street stormwater wetland as complete; debates cattail growth and management

Perry City council approved the statement of completion and final acceptance for the Iowa Street Storm Water Wetland project and discussed how emergent vegetation that established in the wetland should be managed.

Council voted to accept the project as complete and set the final contract amount (read at the meeting). Staff described the change order number four as a small decrease ($1,693.58) to balance as-built quantities and explained that pay request procedures will follow, including retainage release and final payment certifications.

During discussion, council members and staff addressed questions about why cattails and other emergent plants appeared in the constructed wetland. Staff said some of the vegetation likely arrived via upstream farm runoff and that the plants can both alter hydraulics and help capture nutrients. Jennifer Welch, identified in the meeting as a resource staff contact, and other state resource personnel were referenced as having advised management options. Staff described trade-offs: chemical herbicide treatment could control invasive cattails but raises water-quality concerns; mechanical removal is labor-intensive; mowing or periodic management could mitigate hydraulic impacts while preserving nutrient-removal benefits.

Staff emphasized that the project is meeting its water-quality and flood-mitigation goals — slowing runoff from hundreds of acres and reducing localized flooding — even though the wetland’s appearance differs from initial aesthetics. The council approved the change order and the statement of completion and moved to the final pay request process; staff invited a later presentation on management options and public outreach to explain the wetland’s function.