Iowa Begins Construction on Middle Cedar Watershed Water Quality Initiative

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has announced the start of construction on a new water quality project in Tama and Grundy Counties aimed at improving nutrient runoff management across the Middle Cedar Watershed.

Led by Heartland Co-op, the initiative will install 14 saturated buffers and four bioreactors—key edge-of-field conservation tools highlighted in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. These 18 systems will treat runoff from 24 tile outlets, filtering out excess nitrates and protecting water quality for nearby streams and rivers.

“Thank you to the farmers and landowners who said ‘yes’ to conservation by being part of this exciting water quality project,” said Secretary Naig. “With strong support and leadership shown by partners like Heartland Co-op, the Iowa Seed Association, INREC and others, we are accelerating the adoption of water quality practices in priority watersheds across Iowa.”

This project is part of Iowa’s growing “batch and build” model, which consolidates the design and construction of conservation infrastructure across multiple farms to speed up implementation and reduce costs. The Middle Cedar effort marks the third such project from Heartland Co-op to move into the construction phase within the last two years, with two additional project “batches” already in planning for 2026.

“This project further demonstrates how we can make more water quality progress and do it more efficiently when partners work together,” Naig continued. “We’re proud of this project and we want to keep building the momentum by adding even more farms, practices and project partners in the years ahead.”

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is contributing technical expertise, engineering support, and cost-sharing to help fund the practice installations. Heartland Co-op is leading the landowner recruitment and project management. Design services are being provided by ISG Inc., and Laser Precision is handling the physical installation. The Iowa Seed Association is serving as the fiscal agent. Importantly, landowners will not bear any out-of-pocket costs; in fact, they will receive a privately funded construction easement payment for each treated tile outlet.

“Heartland Co-op is thrilled to see the installation of more conservation practices on the landscape that reduce the loss of nutrients from our farm fields,” said Ruth McCabe, Conservation Manager for Heartland Co-op. “Our partnership with Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa Seed Association makes this work possible, and we are proud of the cross-industry work we’ve accomplished with our partners thus far.”

Support for the project also comes from the Tama County and Grundy County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, along with financial backing from several public and private partners including the Cedar River Source Water Partnership, Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance, BASF, Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council (INREC), Iowa Seed Association, Syngenta, and Unilever.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by fall 2025, marking a significant step forward in Iowa’s ongoing efforts to reduce agricultural runoff and improve water quality through collaborative, large-scale conservation strategies.

Originally reported by Iowa Agri Business Network.