The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is partnering with an area county to launch a water quality project.
The Department of Ag’s joint effort with Calhoun County and the Calhoun County Soil and Water Conservation District is in regard to the North Raccoon Edge-of-Field Project. The goal of the first phase of the water quality project is to install more than 25 edge-of-field conservation practices in the North Raccoon River watershed. The science-based practices are proven to improve water quality and reduce the loss of nutrients in Iowa’s waterways.
Iowa’s “batch and build” model modernizes the project management process by installing batches of conservation practices on multiple farms at once which allows a faster acceleration of water quality progress. Calhoun County will act as the fiscal agent for the project and provide contracting oversight for practice installation. Calhoun’s Soil and Water District will enter into maintenance agreements with landowners, provide technical assistance, and issue a certification upon completion.
A joint statement was released from the Calhoun County Board of Supervisors and Brian Bloome, Drainage Engineer for Buena Vista, Calhoun, and Sac Counties. The statement says finding ways to protect and improve water quality remains essential to modern agricultural practices. The Supervisors and Bloome look forward to coordinating with IDALS, Iowa State University researchers, local contractors, and landowners to complete the installation of practices through the “batch and build” process.
Landowners interested in participating should contact Brian Bloome or the Calhoun County Supervisors.
