AMES, Iowa – Two identical workshops aimed at training contractors on the construction and installation of drainage water quality improvement practices have been scheduled for mid-June. The first workshop will be held at the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Webster County office in Fort Dodge on June 16. The second workshop will be held at the ISU Extension and Outreach Linn County office in Hiawatha on June 18.  

The full-day event “Installing Drainage Water Quality Practices: An Iowa Batch and Build Contractor Workshopâ€� will offer a detailed overview of bioreactors, saturated buffers, oxbows, wetlands and other water quality improvement practices. Installation best practices and construction requirements will be discussed, along with how to submit online bids for batch and build projects.  

Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer with ISU Extension and Outreach, said the workshops will feature a panel discussion and a farm visit where these practices are installed.

“Drainage contractors, watershed coordinators, technical service providers, agency staff, drainage consultants, producers, landowners and others interested in the planning and installation of water quality practices for the improvement of farmland drainage will all benefit from attending these workshops,â€� said Arora.

Discussions during the workshops will be led by Chris Hay with Hay Water Solution LLC, Jeremy Bril and Tanner Puls with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Sarah Anderson with the United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service, Keegan Kult with the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition and Arora. The workshops are sponsored by Agri-Drain, the Great Outdoors Foundation and the Drain Tile Safety Coalition.  

To attend, participants should register for one location only. Pre-registration is required, and walk-ins will not be accepted. The registration fee is $75 per participant if registered by June 9 and $100 thereafter. Workshop materials, morning and break refreshments and lunch are included in the registration fee.  

For more information, visit the event web page.    For assistance with registration, contact ISU Registration Services at 515-294-6222 or registrations@iastate.edu.