Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
8/28/02
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
John Creswell, Nutrient Management Education Project, (515) 727-0656,
creswell@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services (515) 294-7033,
jmcguire@iastate.edu
Water Quality Concerns and Solutions
(Ames, IA) -- Experts agree that Iowa has many water quality challenges. But, what's at the root of this concern? "Sediment resulting from soil erosion is the number one pollutant in Iowa's surface waters. Increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in surface waters are also leading contributors to reduced water quality," says John Creswell, nutrient management education project coordinator, Iowa State University Extension. According to Creswell, eutrophication occurs when nutrient enriched waters increase algae and other aquatic plant growth. This in turn lowers dissolved oxygen levels as algae and other aquatic plants die and decompose, resulting in fish kills, increased turbidity, and shifts in aquatic flora and fauna populations.
Creswell says that in the long run, regulatory action focused on improving water quality could be approached on a watershed basis. "Everyone living and working in the watershed will have to look at the issue in order to make progress," he said. "The reality is that to solve the problem, people will have to start working across traditional municipal, county and state boundaries."
So, what can producers do to improve Iowa's surface water quality? Creswell says there are best management practices (BMPs) producers can implement to improve surface water quality. Since sediment is the number one pollutant, it's important that more Iowa producers incorporate conservation or no-tillage into their farming operation. No-till or conservation tillage starts by leaving an even crop residue distribution on the field behind the combine. Effective conservation tillage practices require 30 percent or more crop residue after planting on sloping soils subject to soil erosion.
Producers should also soil test before applying commercial fertilizer, lime or manure. Creswell also reminds producers to sample and test manure to determine nutrient concentrations, then apply based on current soil test data. Other BMPs include:
* adopting an extended crop rotation using three or more crops,
* setting realistic yield expectations based on proven yields,
* cornstalk testing after kernel black layer to evaluate the past season's nitrogen management (ISU publication PM-1584, Cornstalk Testing to Evaluate Nitrogen Management), and
* in-season nitrogen application using the Late-Spring Nitrogen Test (PM-1714, Nitrogen Fertilizer Recommendations for Corn in Iowa).
For more information and assistance, producers can contact their county ISU Extension office to get copies of the appropriate publications and to make an appointment with an extension crop specialist.
The Nutrient Management Education Project is funded in part by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources through an EPA grant. More information about the Nutrient Management Education Project can be found on the Nitrogen and Phosphorus Knowledge Web site (http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/NPKnowledge/).
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