Three years ago, the West Fork Crooked Creek watershed became a state-funded demonstration watershed by the Iowa Water Quality Initiative, and the partnership will continue for at least another three years. The original agreement ended at the end of 2016, but the WQI thought enough of the watershed’s work to extend it for another three years. Watershed Coordinator John Rathbun says this is good news, “For the people in the watershed, what that means is we have more cost share funds for the next three years. We also have funding for education and outreach.”

The WQI is utilizing the West Fork Crooked Creek watershed as a test ground for water quality practices such as bioreactors and cover crops, and the results speak for themselves. Water tested in the watershed has shown drastically lower nitrate and other pollutant levels since the project began. Local farmer Rob Stout, who is a member of the watershed and the first to have a bioreactor installed on his farm, says the nitrate levels in the water have dropped over 70% each year because of the water quality practices he’s used. Stout, like others in the watershed, has used the cost sharing opportunities, and Rathbun is excited to see more farmers take advantage of the funds over the next three years and beyond.