Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
CREP is a major state/federal initiative to develop wetlands which are strategically located using advanced computer technology and designed to remove nitrate from tile-drainage water from cropland areas. Removal of nitrate from these waters helps protect drinking water supplies and reduce hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. The program is implemented in cooperation with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and is available in 37 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) in the tile-drained region of North Central Iowa.
Financial incentives are provided to private landowners to develop and restore wetlands that intercept tile drainage from agricultural watersheds. Landowners receive annual land payments for up to 15 years and reimbursement for costs of wetland and buffer establishment. Easements to maintain the wetlands and buffers are required for a minimum of 30 years with permanent easements offered as well.
Water quality monitoring completed by researchers at Iowa State University has confirmed that CREP wetlands remove 40-90% of the nitrate and 90+% of the herbicide in tile drainage water from upper-lying croplands. In addition to reducing nitrate loads to surface waters, the wetlands will provide wildlife habitat and increased recreational opportunities
