Iowa continues to put attention on conservation practices to improve water quality, especially in streams near agricultural land.
Saturated buffers are one of the newest practices promoted for water quality. A saturated buffer is a riparian buffer (areas of perennial grasses, shrubs or trees planted along the edge of waterways) where tile drainage water is redirected to flow through the buffer.
In conventional tile drainage systems, underground tile pipes transport extra water from cropland and deposit it into a nearby ditch or stream. When using a saturated buffer, part of the tile drainage water is diverted into lateral drainage tile installed along the buffer. When the diverted water is released into the vegetated buffer, the buffer captures sediment, phosphorus, nitrates, and pesticides while also providing wildlife habitat.
In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began researching a saturated buffer site along Bear Creek in central Iowa. After four years of research at the site, the data showed a substantial amount of subsurface drain flow could be diverted in the buffer and substantially reduce nitrate delivery to the stream.
Financial assistance through EQIP is available to producers interested in implementing a saturated buffer. Technical assistance with the planning/design work of a saturated buffer is available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
To learn more about saturated buffers or the Van Zante Creek Watershed Project, contact Coordinator Kristine Labertew at 641-842-5314, Extension 3. In addition, producers in the Van Zante Creek Watershed will be invited to attend a meeting about the Van Zante Project in February or March. Details will be forthcoming.