Treatment wetlands: Cost-effective practice for intercepting nitrate before it reaches and adversely impacts surface waters

摘要

Constructed treatment wetlands-an innovative conservation practice advocated by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)—can be an exceedingly cost-effective approach to reducing nitrogen loadings in watersheds dominated by tile-drained cropland. The practice has potential to enhance water quality in regions such as the Corn Belt that are extensively tile drained. The treatment wetland practice is part of the Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), a partnership between FSA and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Initiated in 2001, the Iowa CREP encourages farmers to adopt practices that ameliorate the effects of tile-drained lands on water quality.