There’s a 6,475-square-mile “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. Roughly the same size as Connecticut and Rhode Island, this area located off the Louisiana coast becomes so polluted that it can’t support the fish and shrimp populations that are vital to southern fisherman. While actions by those living in the bayous play a part, the real cause is located 1,000 miles north: Iowa’s golden cornfields, whose runoff is dirtying the Mississippi River and its tributaries, says Dan Jaynes, a research soil scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Laboratory who’s studying ways to decrease the contamination.
While the prairie’s black soil is extremely fertile — roughly 25 million acres of cropland were harvested last year — the former swampland is also excessively moist. “It’s a fairly flat landscape, so water has no place to go,” Jaynes says. That’s why, beginning a century ago, farmers in the Hawkeye State built artificial drainage systems (that consisted of four-inch-wide clay pipes buried a few feet underground; today, perforated, plastic tubing is used) to shunt water into streams.
Today, these small-scale systems add high levels of nitrates (a form of nitrogen) and phosphorous (additives that largely come from fertilizer) to nearby waterways. During the spring, these nutrients fuel algal growth, presenting a health hazard to the many cities like Des Moines and Cedar Rapids that obtain their drinking water from the rivers. (Des Moines’s water utility has filed a controversial federal lawsuit against drainage districts upstream.)
Jaynes has a simple solution to the problem that’s impacting the entire Midwestern Corn Belt, from Ohio to southern Minnesota: just shift the pipes 30 to 50 feet away from the streams to allow the water to percolate through the vegetated land between the fields’ edge and the riverbed. Grasses and soils retain some of the nitrates or send them back to the atmosphere as harmless gas, and in the process, the water’s nitrate levels drop anywhere from two-thirds to zero, according to several pilot projects of the “saturated buffer,” which was built in partnership with Iowa State University. The fix comes at a reasonable cost: ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 and can be installed within a half hour, Jaynes says.
If citydwellers along the Mississippi River and fisherman in the Gulf of Mexico want to see clearer waters, saturated buffers will have to be implemented, along with other land management practices, Jaynes says. The only alternative? “We can get rid of all the corn or soybeans in the area,” he adds, “but I don’t think that’s very practical.”
Tag: Des Moines
Why a Talk-Show Host Rewarded This Kindhearted Man With $10,000
While stories about natural disasters, death, and bickering politicians dominate the airwaves, all’s not bad with the world. We think that good deeds should not go unnoticed. And fortunately, neither does a popular television talk show host.
One such kind act that deserves to be recognized is performed weekly by Derrick Walton.
Some years back, a few bad choices left Walton living on the streets. After finding his way back on his feet, he’s now the proud owner of Chef D’s Rock Power Pizza in Des Moines, Iowa. But the nice story doesn’t end there. Walton, who has seen his share of tough times, makes sure he gives back to the community. Every Monday, the 47-year-old closes his restaurant so that homeless and needy families can eat for free. This he does out of the goodness of his own heart and pays for it out of his own pocket.
“I made a promise that if I ever got in a position where I could help somebody, I would give something back,” he told Yahoo! Shine in February.
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As you can see in the video above, this inspiring story made its way to Ellen DeGeneres, who not only invited Walton to the show to talk about his business, but also to present him with a check for $10,000 to help him continue his good work. (Who doesn’t love a giant cardboard check?!) The gesture immediately brought Walton to tears.
“I didn’t know where the money was going to come from, and I knew I just had to keep these doors open no matter what,” Walton said after the show. “The people that come in there truly inspire me to continue to do this.”