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For More Information Contact: Paige Buck, State Public Affairs Specialist, (217) 353.6606
                                                  Jody Christiansen, Public Affairs Specialist (217) 353.6627

Making Drainage Tiles Work Their Hardest

Champaign, IL— Every year from DeKalb to Cairo, Illinois landowners invest in new tile lines, additional tile, or upgrades to their existing system. Why? Because less than 200 years ago, Illinois was difficult, if not impossible to farm because the soil was saturated with water. With modern agriculture we drain excess water to grow commodity crops. One unwanted byproduct of this process: excess nutrients—nitrates and phosphorous—ultimately enter creeks and streams. The resulting water quality problems impact the environment, our communities, and in the end, our economy. How can we better use the tile lines we’ve installed and make them part of the solution and not just part of the problem? According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and University researchers, we can use concepts like Drainage Water Management, or DWM.

According to Ruth Book, State Conservation Engineer with Illinois NRCS, DWM is the process of managing the timing and amount of water discharged from agricultural drainage systems and is based on the premise that the same drainage intensity is not required at all times during the year. NRCS offers technical and financial assistance for this practice, which begins with a DWM Conservation Plan.

DWM water quality benefits may be derived by minimizing unnecessary tile drainage and reducing the amount of nitrate that leaves farm fields. DWM systems can also retain water that could be used for crop production later in the season.

A number of researchers, organizations, and many producers in Illinois and across the nation have tested and used DWM equipment and techniques on their own operations—some have used it for many years. As a result, they learn to operate the equipment, what conditions and timing sequences work best, how the system works in variable weather conditions, and how materials hold up over time.

“We know that DWM systems work best on very flat ground,” Book explains. “That fact eliminates a lot of operators with steep or sloped ground but still offers the option to many Illinois producers who have flat ground. Those are the folks we’d like to work with on a Drainage Management Plan.”

With recent state and national emphasis on water quality protection and new initiatives that target natural resource concerns in the Mississippi River Basin watershed, now is the time to consider Drainage Water Management and work with NRCS to see about use of this technique on your operation.

To successfully retrofit a DWM system onto existing agricultural tile drainage systems, it is essential to have a plan of action—a DWM Plan. According to Book, when applying for NRCS programs or financial assistance, producers are more likely to be funded if they have a DWM plan.

Bill Gradle, Illinois NRCS State Conservationist confirms that several of his District Conservationists have worked with local farmers who have used DWM and can attest to the benefits and options they discovered. When successful, a DWM system can help private landowners:

• Reduce nutrient, pathogens, and/or pesticide loading from drainage system
• Reduce nutrients, pathogens, and or pesticide loading from drainage system
• Improve plant/crop productivity
• Reduce oxidation of organic matter in soil
• Reduce wind erosion, loss of valuable soil, and air quality problems due to dust
• Provide seasonal soil saturation or shallow flooding for wildlife habitat

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