Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced last week that a successful Water Quality Initiative (WQI) project is accelerating towards a new phase. The project spans across areas of Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Van Buren, and Des Moines Counties.

With this next phase, the focus is on edge-of-field conservation practices. These include saturated buffers and bioreactors as well as nutrient-reducing grade stabilization structures to keep nutrients from entering waterways. This work expands on the more than 54,000 acres of cover crops that have been seeded in the project area along with nearly 238,000 feet of terraces built since 2014.

As efforts continue to positively impact Iowa acres and waterways, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is investing more than $245,000 in the next phase of the project. The Iowa Water Quality Initiative was established in 2013 to help implement the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. This is a science and technology-based approach to protecting and improving water quality across the state. To learn more, click here.