Iowa Department of Natural Resources




June 26,
2008

For
immediate release

 CONSERVATION PRACTICES PROTECT LAND
FROM EROSION DURING FLOODS



 
MEDIA CONTACT: Kyle Ament at (515) 242-6196 or Rachel Glaza at (515)
281-8158



DES MOINES —While much of the agricultural land in Iowa has
suffered severe erosion due to recent rains and flooding, the amount of damage
was reduced on farms that had added conservation practices to their land. Conservation practices, which are ways to manage the land for better
water quality, include practices such as terraces, no-till farming and grassed
waterways, all of which reduce soil erosion on farmland. This soil can carry
excess bacteria and nutrients to nearby lakes and streams, and can also make
the water turbid, or cloudy. 



“Not only do conservation practices help farmers save valuable
topsoil, but they also keep that soil out of the water,” said DNR
Director Richard Leopold. “While we’ve seen the devastation of
flooding on lands across the state, we’re fortunate that many farmers
throughout Iowa
have taken advantage of opportunities to add these practices to their land.
Those practices have helped reduce the effects of flooding in many
places.”



Wayne Brunsman, a Delaware
 County farmer, has worked
with the Bear Creek Watershed Project to add terraces and grassed waterways to
his property. He also uses no-till farming, which uses last year’s crop
as ground cover to protect against erosion. 



“I would say that I have about 10 percent of the amount of
erosion that most people in the area are experiencing right now,” said
Brunsman. “I think that I have these practices to thank for that.”



Financing is often available for farmers looking to add conservation
practices to their land through various projects aiming to improve Iowa watersheds, which
are areas of land that drain into a lake or stream. The DNR helps fund about 50
watershed projects around the state each year. 



“I think that a lot more people will be interested in working
with the project to add practices such as terraces in the near future because
they see how these practices have helped others in the area,” said Dan
Case, project coordinator for the Jordan Creek Watershed Project in
Pottawattamie County. 



Landowners interested in learning more about using conservation
practices on their land can contact Kyle Ament at (515) 242-6196 or Rachel
Glaza at (515) 281-8158, both with DNR Watershed Improvement, or their local
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office. More information on
watershed improvement is also available on the DNR Web site at http://watershed.iowadnr.gov.



The Section 319 program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
provides DNR funding for nonpoint pollution programs. The DNR generally funds
local watershed projects in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Agriculture
and Land Stewardship – Division of Soil Conservation and the Natural
Resources Conservation Service.



Writer: Cassy Lalan

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