Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance recently conducted testing of the Raccoon and Boone River watersheds and say those tests reaffirm the need for continuous improvement and greater collaboration. The organization provided funding for the collection of 2,500 water samples from 75 sites. More than half of the 45 Raccoon River water monitoring sites reported their highest average nitrate levels in ten years. The Boone River also experienced high nitrate concentrations across 30 sample sites. ACWA chairman, Harry Ahrenhotz, says the results are not surprising considering weather patterns over the past decade. Experts have long recognized the impact weather has on nitrate loss from farm fields. Fluctuation between wet and dry weather patterns during the last several years has resulted in large shifts in water movement, allowing nitrates that have moved below the root zone and accumulated in dry times to be rapidly transported during wet periods. ACWA Executive Director, Roger Wolf, says this data will allow the organization to pinpoint where efforts and dollars should be focused to have the greatest impact on water quality at the local and state level. The Elk Run watershed, a sub-watershed of the North Raccoon River, is an area of focus, receiving a $354,000 Water Quality Initiative grant from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. That project focuses on engaging farmer in parts of Sac, Calhoun and Carroll Counties in discussion and implementation of water conservation practices outlined in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
