Yesterday, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that a successful Water Quality Initiative project in Jefferson, Keokuk, Wapello, and Mahaska Counties is expanding in territory, while beginning a new phase that includes an added focus on edge-of-field conservation practices.

This next phase will center around the installation of saturated buffers and bioreactors, as well as nutrient-reducing grade stabilization structures. These proven structural practices filter water as it leaves fields, helping to keep nutrients from entering waterways. To date, five saturated buffers, three bioreactors, and two nutrient-reducing grade stabilization structures have been built in the project area, with the goal of greatly increasing these numbers.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is allocating $417,490 for the next phase of this expanded project. To learn more about the Iowa Water Quality Initiative, click here.