Contact:
Dustin Vande Hoef
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
515/281-3375 or 515/326-1616 (cell)
DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey will be attending the dedication of the first Iowa Integrated Drainage and Wetland Landscape Systems Initiative pilot site Southeast of Pocahontas on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 3:00 p.m.
Through this initiative, a constructed wetland designed to improve water quality has been created as part of the modernization of existing subsurface drainage serving agricultural lands in Iowa.
Iowa State University will study the effectiveness of the wetland in treating the subsurface drainage to remove pollutants, primarily nitrates, as part of the initiative.
Existing research shows that these types of wetlands reduce nitrate loading by more than 50 percent and when combined with drainage systems both surface water runoff and phosphorus loss to Iowa streams are projected to be cut in half. The wetlands also create improved wildlife habitat.
Currently, 52 similar wetlands have been constructed or restored and 20 more are in design and construction through the Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). These wetlands have been constructed below existing tile outlets.
The Pocahontas County pilot site is the first ever project integrating the wetland as part of designed of a modern subsurface drainage. The initiative has obligated funding for five more pilot sites that are currently undergoing design.
Funding for this pilot site was through a combination of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), Iowa’s Infrastructure Investment Initiative (I-Jobs), and the landowners of Drainage District #65.
Who: Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
What: Iowa Drainage and Wetland Landscape Initiative Dedication
When: 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 26, 2009
Where: Pocahontas County Wetland Site, Southeast of Pocahontas
Take Hwy 3 east from Pocahontas to 310th Ave. Follow 310th Ave. south about 3 miles to the site.
How: For more information please contact Dustin Vande Hoef with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at 515-281-3375 or 515-326-1616 (cell).
The event will be held rain or shine and may require walking through tall grass, please dress accordingly
