ELDORA, Iowa — The public is invited to a water quality field day, Saturday, June 18 near Eldora to witness the installation of two bioreactors. The field day is being organized by the Southfork Watershed Alliance (SFWA) and hosted by landowner Kathleen Hunt and operator Jacob Bolson.
The morning will begin with registration and a light breakfast at 8 a.m., with the program beginning at 9 with several presentations and the installation of a bioreactor along the bank of Beaver Creek. Lunch will be provided to finish out the morning. Parking will be available at Ag Vantage FS, with a shuttle provided to the field day site at The Hunt Farm (28989 HWY 175, Eldora, IA). Participants are invited to register beforehand at www.southforkwatershed.org or by calling the Hardin County Extension Office at (641) 648-4850.
The project is being funded by a grant awarded to the Southfork Watershed Alliance from the Water Quality Initiative (WQI) (a division of the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship). The project site has been carefully selected and designed by engineers at WQI. Once completed, the bioreactor will be filled with wood chips that will act as a carbon source to reduce the concentration of nitrogen that will enter the creek from the tile system. Due to the nature of the event, it will be highly weather dependent with updates available at www.southforkwatershed.org or www.facebook.com/southforkwatershedalliance/.
The Southfork Watershed Alliance is proud to partner with WQI, the Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Corn, Benson Hill, People’s Company, and Farm Bureau to put on this event and continue to fulfill the same mission that they have had since their inception in 1999: “to protect, preserve, and enhance the natural resources of the watershed of the Southfork of the Iowa River and its tributaries through voluntary and community support”.
— Southfork Watershed Alliance