DES MOINES, Iowa — On Tuesday, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that a three-year, $1.94 million project has begun to implement nitrate-reducing conservation practices in the Beaver Creek watershed.

The project impacts four counties that surround the creek. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Boone County Soil and Water Conservation District, and other public and private partners all have a stake in it.

This project comes after federal funds helped construct 20 saturated buffers and bioreactors and 12 oxbow restorations. This state-funded plan has been in development since 2023 and aims to expand on the existing saturated buffers.

Bioreactors are woodchips that are placed on water tile streams underground. The woodchip microorganisms act as a filter, consume carbon while using the nitrates as energy. That process turns the nitrates into nitrogen. These are called “edge of field” practices, where crops near the creek make it easier for nitrates to pour into the river.

“So with these projects, you know, we kind of focus on a batch and build style project. And so one of the early stages is being able to do some outreach,” said Justin Grieff, the Beaver Creek watershed coordinator, Boone County Soil and Water Conservation District. “And then along with that outreach obviously comes education. And so some of these private landowners and farmers aren’t always 100% certain and familiar with these projects, so that’s a big step.”

Streams, rivers, creeks, drainage ditches, and more are the targets of these projects. Tile outlets that dump into those water sources are the

“Iowa farmers are really starting to buy into these projects and are really starting to buy into this process, you know, which is really good and really beneficial. That’s what we like to see,” said Grieff.

The project began on July 1 and is expected to last until June 30, 2028.