Nitrate and Source Tracking at Fourmile Creek
Objective: Building on Dr. Peter Levi’s previous work, students sample rural and suburban areas along Fourmile Creek to understand spatial and temporal trends in nitrate concentrations. Additional sampling for E. coli and source tracking is also added.
Partners: Data and monitoring equipment are shared with Iowa State University grad students in the Dept. of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.
Student Participants: Ethan Wing, Taylor Bunton, Harrison Zeigler, Alex Colby, Lucas Jackson, Avery Lawler, and Siddha Olson.
Start Date: April 2024, ongoing
Reports: Dr. Levi’s report from 2023
Setting a good example: Farmer and former Professor, Lee Tesdell, lives upstream on Alleman Creek. He is partnering with Iowa State University to install saturated buffers with control structures. This edge-of-field practice significantly reduces nitrate loss from his farm. He has also added prairie strips and practices no-till farming. He also has a solar panel to provide sustainable energy to the farm.
