North Raccoon Soil & Water Outcomes
Established in 2017, the Iowa Watershed Awards honor conservation leaders who improve water quality and soil health. Organized by the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance and partners, the awards highlight efforts that support the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, benefiting both local watersheds and downstream areas.
Project Area
Project Leadership
Iowa Soybean Association
Funding
$25.8 million
Summary
The North Raccoon Partnership for Soil and Water Outcomes (NRSWO) brings together upstream and downstream partners to improve soil health and water quality for the benefit of all residents of the North Raccoon River watershed.
This watershed provides drinking water for 500,000 people in the Des Moines metro and is a priority watershed for IAWA, the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), and the State of Iowa. The NRSWO provides financial assistance and planning support to farmers and landowner for adding practices like cover crops, no-till, bioreactors, saturated buffers, oxbow restorations, and constructed wetlands to their operation.
As one of the project’s 11 partners, IAWA provided $90,000 to support communications and outreach. Other partners include ag retailers, federal and state agencies and the City of Des Moines.
The NRSWO is funded through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP projects drive innovation in conservation efforts by bringing public and private entities and dollars together to target priority watersheds and landscapes.
Conservation Practices Implemented:
CRSWP Partners
- Iowa Soybean Association
- IAWA
- USDA-NRCS
- Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
- The City of Des Moines
- Ag Partners LLC
- Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance
- Heartland Co-op
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- North Raccoon River Watershed Management Authority
- Syngenta
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Upstream Tech
