Prairie Potholes: Dangers Ahead For Iowa Wetlands The Iowa Drainage District Association is currently working to close ag drainage wells across northcentral and northwestern Iowa. This is great, however, the creation of new drainage ditches is creating new problems for water quality. The creation of drainage ditches are less specific on land drainage than ag drainage wells were, thus more wetland habitat is now being drained as a result of new drainage ditch construction. Currently, the Iowa Drainage District Association is working with Pocahontas County to close 36 ag drainage wells. The drainage ditch association has found that they will be draining 56.6 acres of previously drained - frequently-cropped farmed wetlands in newly created Drainage Ditch No. 176. In place of these 56.6 acres they have purchased 21 acres of "higher quality" wetland in Dickinson County which they hope will fulfill their mitigation requirements. However the Army Corp of Engineers and the U.S. EPA are not as convinced of this mitigation of less than 1 acre for 1 acre. Neither am I! At a time when water quality continues to decline we need to ensure the protection of those wetlands we have, and request the restoration of tiled and drained wetlands whenever possible. The Iowa Drainage District Association is requesting support for their less than 1 acre-for one acre mitigation on this land under the permit 404. This will be a precedent setting step in the closure of ag drainage wells. I am asking people to write letters against the less than 1 acre for 1 acre mitigation and request an acre for an acre mitigation. Please send your leeter to Mr. Neal Johnson, Regulatory Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island, IL 61204-2004 with reference to project CEMVR-RD-361460 Pocahontas County Board of Supervisors Drainage Ditch No. 176 Send copies of this letter to Mr. Jack Reissen, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State Office Bldg., Des Moines, IA 50319-0034 Don't allow the wetlands destruction continue. Please respond by November 6th. Any questions regarding this issue can be directed to Brad Freidhof Iowa Sierra Club Conservation Chair at (712) 335-3145. Please do not reference me in your letters as this is a very political issue and could jeopordize my career in Pocahontas County. Thank you for your assistance and support. Bradley H. Freidhof (712) 335-3145 Pocahontas Iowa ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send email to [log in to unmask] Make the message text (not the Subject): SIGNOFF IOWA-TOPICS