Water Quality and Drainage Management

Water Management

The Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District is dedicated to keeping our water clean and healthy. When you think of water in our county, you might picture fishing at Lake Waveland or kayaking down beautiful Sugar Creek. Water can be found in many forms- it falls to earth as rain, makes up rivers and lakes, flows underground through drainage tile and aquifers, and comes through the faucet in our homes. Clean water is crucial to both human and environmental health.

Water is a vital resource needed for successful agriculture for both crops and livestock. This water needs to be of sound quality and quantity to have the best system in place. This same water is also used to preserve the environments of various ecosystems and lands such as wetlands, forested lands, and riparian zones.

There are various issues related to water that can occur on undeveloped land. Some are listed below:

Excess Water

Drainage issues can occur when there are large rain events where the soil is unable to soak in all of the precipitation. Stormwater runoff and flood prone areas can also exacerbate this problem. This can lead to ponding, flooding, and other drainage issues.

Possible solutions

- Drainage management and structures for water control such as the use of cover crops, grassed waterways, and no-till
- Roof runoff structures (i.e. gutters, downspouts) and capture for reuse methods such as irrigation
- Floodplain management
- Wetland Restoration or enhancement
- Water and sediment control basin

Water Quality

Water quality is another aspect that needs to be considered when managing your land for the water retained in your soil and the excess water that runoffs your land. Some of the possible negative consequences of poor land management are below :

- Elevated Water Temperatures
- Excess Nutrients in Water
- Pathogens and Chemicals in Water
- Pesticides in Water
- Pollutants in Water
- Excess Salt in Water
- Excess Sediment in Water

Some possible solutions that can be used to prevent these from occurring in nearby waterbodies to your land are buffer and filter strips, reestablishing riparian vegetation, cover crops, nutrient management, crop rotations, no-till, and managing livestock access to water.

If you are interested in learning more about how filter strips work view the video below created by Iowa NRCS.

Water Management

Excess Water

Water Quality

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