Upper
Mississippi
River
                                        ,  MN
   WHY IS THIS WATERSHED SPECIAL?

   The Des Moines Lobe, the central focus of this project, is
   drained mostly by the Des Moines, Raccoon, Iowa, and
   Skunk rivers in the "prairie-pothole" region in
   north-central Iowa. Thanks to artificial drainage, this
   land boasts some of the most valuable and  productive
   farmland in the country. In 2002, the average land value
   for the 22-county area making up most of the Lobe was
   approximately $2,500 an acre, and more than
   80 percent of that area was used for row crops,
   42.9 percent for corn and 37.6 percent for soybeans.


   ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES

   Nitrate leaching from extensive areas of drained
   cropland in Iowa and other areas along the Corn Belt is
   transported down the Mississippi River and is believed to
   be a contributor to hypoxic (low in dissolved oxygen)
   conditions in the Gulf of Mexico and to local drinking
   water quality concerns. Although mismanagement and
   overuse of fertilizer and manure contributes to water
   quality problems, hydrological and land-use changes
   (that is, the conversion of prairies and marshes to
   row crops)  are the leading causes of degradation.

   •  Extensive subsurface drainage of the Corn Belt (25
      percent of Iowa is drained) accelerates the transport
      of nitrate entering the Mississippi River.

   •  Subsurface drainage creates very productive
      croplands and reduces other water quality concerns.
                                                Scientists examine a soil sample. (Charlie Rahm)
                                                 RESTORATION ACTIVITIES

                                                 A permanent solution to this watershed's challenges
                                                 involves "structural modifications" of the drainage
                                                 systems that could have both water quality and crop
                                                 production benefits. EPA Targeted Watersheds Grants
                                                 funds will be used to test new technologies involving
                                                 modified drainage systems, combined with
                                                 nitrate-removing wetlands. Project partners will:

                                                 • Use  actual soils, topography, and weather data with
                                                   improved crop growth, hydrologic, and wetland
                                                   models to design integrated wetlands and controlled
                                                   or shallow drainage systems to reduce nitrate
                                                   loading while maintaining or improving crop
                                                   performance

                                                 • Develop an optimum drainage-wetland system
                                                   design for specific study areas  with landowner
                                                   cooperation, install it, and monitor its water quality
                                                   performance

                                                 • Conduct outreach to publicize the results to other
                                                   landowners, the farm media, downstream water
                                                   users, and policy makers  at all levels and explore
                                                   technology transfer opportunities to other areas in
                                                   Iowa and beyond
EPA's TARGET ED WATERSHEDS GRANTS

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                                                                                                      ^2*8*^
 A STRONG PARTNERSHIP
 FOR CHANGE

 The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
 Stewardship and Iowa State University, which together
 developed the nitrate removal wetland technologies that
 led to Iowa's Conservation Research Enhancement
 Program, lead the project team. Further support
 through expertise, staff, and financial resources
 comes from:
 •  Iowa Drainage District Association
 •  Agri Drain Corporation
 •  Natural Resources Conservation Service
 •  Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
 •  Iowa Environmental Council
 •  City of Cedar Rapids
 •  Des Moines Water Works
                                                 I A restored wetland.  (Lynn Betts)
"Our P
                          ig new appr
                                                .naging water on cropped
                                             ams, and ultimately, to the Gulf
of Mexico hypoxic zone. Farmers will be able to see these technologies through
demonstrations under actual field conditions, both to demonstrate the environmental
gains as well as impacts upon crop production and farming practices."


- Dean W Lemke, RE., Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

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