Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here, and today 'Here' is near Ames

The Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here tour will stop at Roger Underwood’s farm in Ames, Iowa today. Underwood worked with Matt Helmers, the Director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, a Dean’s Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University, and his college students to design a bioreactor on the property. The stop is hosted by Hands on Excavating, the company that installed the bioreactor.

Bioreactors are excavated pits filled with woodchips that filter tile drainage water. This type of conservation practice is typically located along the edge of a farm field to help capture and treat runoff. The average bioreactor reduces nitrate levels by 43 percent.

“There are so many great things to highlight about this partnership. Iowa State University is a key stakeholder in the Nutrient Reduction Strategy and has led the development of edge-of-field practices, like bioreactors,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “This project allowed young Iowans to learn about the state’s conservation efforts by getting involved first-hand. It also demonstrates the importance of our technical partnerships. Hands on Excavating is helping us build edge-of-field practices across central Iowa.”

Take a look at the completed bio reacter:

“Edge-of-field practices are an important component of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy,” said Helmers. “Making landowners aware of and getting them interested in these types of practices is the first step in scaling up adoption.”

Unlike many conservation projects that start from scratch, this bioreactor was designed to fit within the property’s existing tiling system and built into the side of an existing waterway. This allowed Underwood to add the water quality practice without using any additional farmland.

Jacob Handsaker, owner of Hands on Excavating, helped Helmers and his students bring this project to life.

“Typically, we design new tiling systems around the desired drainage processes. This project was unique because the bioreactor was designed and built off of clay tile from an existing system,” said Handsaker.

It takes time and a significant amount of financial, engineering and construction resources to implement conservation practices that make permanent changes to the landscape. Handsaker has worked with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to install several bioreactors in central Iowa. Here Bob is talking with ISU grad student Lindsey Hartford about working to design these projects:

About the Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here Campaign

The Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here campaign, created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) and Newsradio 1040 WHO, aims to raise awareness about the conservation work underway across Iowa, and encourages all Iowans to get personally involved in water quality activities.

The Big Show will visit locations throughout Iowa showcasing the people and practices that are having a positive and measurable impact on water quality. The conversations with farmers, landowners, business operators and conservation leaders will be broadcast Wednesdays on The Big Show airing 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on WHO and 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. on WMT.

The implementation of conservation practices isn’t limited to rural areas. Urban residents can do their part by keeping leaves, grass clippings and other yard debris out of the street and gutters and slowing runoff and recycling rainwater through rain barrels, rain gardens and swales. These practices act as a filter for oil, fertilizer and other pollutants to prevent them from running into the storm drains. Seeding pollinator habitats and properly disposing of paints, solvents and metals also have a positive impact on water quality.

Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here campaign partners include Agri-Drain, Hagie Manufacturing, Hands on Excavating, Heartland Co-op, Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association, Montag Manufacturing, and The Nature Conservancy. Once again, a big thanks to Hands on Tiling and Excavating's Jacob Handsacker for hosting us today along with ISU's Matt Helmers.


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