DES MOINES –Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today announced that eleven more water quality wetlands will be built throughout North Central Iowa this summer through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). One of wetlands will be built during 2009 Midwest Construction Expo & Field Day in Melbourne on July 15-16.
Northey will attend a construction kickoff ceremony at the expo, ½ mile east of Melbourne on 290th St., at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16.
“The water quality wetlands are strategically built to have the greatest improvement in water quality while also impacting the smallest area,” Northey said. “This field day is a great opportunity to showcase these wetlands to the public and contractors from across the nation.”
Wetlands have Impact on Water Quality
Researchers at Iowa State University have confirmed that these wetlands remove 40-90% of the nitrate and 90+% of the herbicide in tile drainage water from upper-lying croplands. In addition to reducing nitrate loads to surface waters, the wetlands provide wildlife habitat and increased recreational opportunities.
Currently, 35 of these wetlands have been constructed or restored and 33 more are currently being designed. These planned and constructed wetlands will protect 85,000 acres of watersheds in Iowa.
The effectiveness of these wetlands were recognized by the Gulf of Mexico Program, which is underwritten by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is dedicated to protecting, restoring and maintaining the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and USDA Farm Service Agency in Iowa were nominated by the Iowa Farm Bureau and received a “Gulf Guardian Award” in 2008 for their work to reduce nutrients traveling to the Gulf of Mexico and the effectiveness of these wetlands in removing nitrates.
Groundbreaking Ceremonies
The Midwest Construction Expo & Field Day is hosted by the Land Improvement Contractors’ Association (LICA) and as part of the events will construct a CREP wetland ½ mile east of Melbourne on 290th St. The land where the wetland will be built is owned by the Association.
Additional groundbreaking ceremonies marking construction of water quality wetlands will also be held in Floyd, Palo Alto, Dickinson, Buena Vista, Kossuth, Webster and Emmet Counties.
