This document describes a case study of a project in Polk County, Iowa that installed conservation practices like saturated buffers and bioreactors using an alternative "batch and build" approach. The project installed 40 saturated buffers and 11 bioreactors in 2021 by directly contacting landowners, streamlining the enrollment process, and bundling multiple sites into bid packages to reduce costs. This approach saved over $115,000 compared to traditional conservation practice delivery methods. The project aims to continue expanding installations to treat more drainage outlets and address barriers to adoption like landowner burden and program complexity.

1. Batch and Build: A
Case Study in
Alternative Practice
Delivery to Address
Barriers and Increase
Adoption
Keegan Kult
Executive Director, Agricultural Drainage
Management Coalition
International Drainage Symposium

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Polk County
Saturated Buffer
Leadership Team

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Polk County Model - 40 saturated buffers and 11
bioreactors installed in summer of 2021
Only 49 EoF installed through
EQIP nationwide from 2016-2020
Iowa previously had 115 EoF sites over past
decade
Saved $115,000 from traditional
delivery method
•Reduced engineering costs
•Less contractor mobilization
Utilized Fiscal Agent
Limited landowner risk/burden
Created sizeable bid packages
Blends funding sources
Repeatable
Looking to install 80 sites in 2022

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Slides prepared by Dr. Ruth Book, IL State Conservation Engineer, for the
Conservation Drainage Network meeting
35 bioreactors 14 saturated buffers

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Conservation drainage adoption via EQIP
Federal Fiscal
Year
Saturated Buffer (ft)
Drainage Water Management
(acres)
FY 20 921 36,0002
FY 21 2,575 21,901
FY 22 270 1,745
FY 23 5,558 8, 108
As presented by NRCS at 2022 CDN Annual Meeting

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
2020: SWCS

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Treating Tile Outlets in Polk County
- Water Quality Initiative Funding (State)
- NRCS-EQIP Funding (Federal)
- CRP (Federal)
- Traditional Cost-Share Model
- Conservation Planning
- Opportunity Based
- 6 Outlets Treated 2015-2019

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Barriers to conservation
drainage adoption
- Outlets lost in the conversation around other
practices
- Landowner “Hassle Factor”
- Working within CRP program
- Opportunity cost for contractors
- Tax issues

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Polk County (IA) Project
Agency/Non-profit partnership to increase the rate of adoption to a
rate of 25+ saturated buffer sites a year.
Framework
• Group and prioritize ACPF identified saturated buffer sites
• Direct outreach campaign
• Create demand by incentivizing participation & streamlining the
process
• Recruit landowners/farmers to install multiple saturated buffers
• Utilize innovative fiscal agent model to bundle multiple sites

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Batch and Build Framework
Stage Actions Paperwork Notes
1. Planning • Identify area of focus
• Funding sources
• Project coordinator
• Identify fiscal agent
• Identify designer
• ACPF
outputs/watershed
plans
• 28E agreements
• Establish number of
targeted sites
• Meet w/ NRCS, SWCD,
and County
2. Outreach • Targeted letters
• Follow up phone call
• Gain Permission to
survey
• 1 page flyer on project
• Formal letter
• Field maps
• Get permission to
survey, ideally April –
June
• Determine who should
be POC
3. Survey • Find and name outlet
• Tile grade, main size,
material
• Document soil cores
• Topographic survey
• Stream cross sections
• Complete field survey
sheet
• Two-person survey
crews
• Trimble unit, soil
probe, tape measure,
tile flags, ranger

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Batch and Build Framework cont.
Stage Actions Paperwork Notes
4. Initial Design and Cons.
Planning
• CAD drawings
• Update conservation
plan
• Provide map
• Determine if outlet
warrants treatment
5. Preview with
landowner
• Discuss initial designs
• Notify FSA of
conversion if enrolled
in CRP
• Signed landowner
intent to convert CRP
contract
• Updated planning
layers
• Areas of disturbance
behind structure
6. Final design/permitting • NRCS approved
designed plan
• Cost estimates

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Batch and Build Framework cont.
Stage Actions Paperwork Notes
7. Enrollment & funding • Landowner enrollment
• Create and solicit bid
documents
• Maintenance agreement
• W9
• Right of Entry
• POA
• Conservation Plan
• CRP-1 if needed
• Legal entity
• Have funding
agreements in
place for Fiscal
Agent
• Review bid
documents for
accuracy
8. Construction • Construction funding
• Inspection
• As-built certifications • Summer
construction is ideal
• Designer regularly
meets with
contractor

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IDALS FSA PC
LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Contractor X Contractor X Contractor X Contractor Y
- Payment
- Invoice
- Contract
Conventional financial assistance
model

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Fiscal agent model
- Payment
- Invoice
- Contract
PC
IDALS
SWCD
LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Fiscal Agent
Contractor X
Bid Package

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Results
• 40 saturated buffers
• 11 bioreactors
• 80 sites in 2022
• Expanding in other parts of Iowa

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IDALS Ave.
Practice Cost, $
IDALS Ave.
Engineering Cost, $
Saturated Buffer
(29 sites)
$5,804 $5,704
Bioreactor (42
sites)
$15,028 $5,934
Traditional expenses

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Installation
Cost
Temporary
Construction
Easement Engineering* Total
Traditional $397,588 $0 $294,434 $691,022
Polk County
Model $374,725** $51,000 $149,532 $575,257
Difference $22,863 -$51,000 $143,902 $115,765
How did we stack up?

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Should landowners be required to pay?
Model
Public share for
practice
installation
Landowner
share for
practice
installation
Public
Temporary
Construction
Easement
Public
engineering
expenses
Total Public
Expenses
Polk County $374,725 0 $51,000 $149,532 $575,257
75:25 Cost
share
298,191 $99,397 $0 $294,434 $592,625
50:50 Cost
share
198,794 $198,794 $0 $294,434 $493,228

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Cost efficiency
Scenario
$/lb N removed w/
engineering expenses
$/lb N removed w/o
engineering expenses
Low acres/low
removal $3.83 $2.83
Low acres/high
removal $2.00 $1.77
High acres/low
removal $2.39 $1.48
High acres/high
removal $1.25 $0.93
Low acres: 20 High acres:40
Low removal: 23% High removal 44%
N loading rate 20.5 lbs/acre
4% real discount rate
10-year life expectancy

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Major Takeaways
- Direct outreach model worked
- Trained and equipped surveyors
- Coordination between designer and
survey crew is crucial
- Big enough people wanted to make it
work
- New Mindset “Let’s treat every
suitable outlet”
- Landowners and contractors
happier

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Recipe for success
Local buy in Experienced
watershed
coordinator
Multiple funding
sources
Dedicated project
management
Leadership team

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Project location
• Prioritize watershed with ACPF identified EoF
sites
Recruitment
• Direct outreach campaign to targeted
landowners
Demand
• Create demand by incentivizing participation
through a simplified funding structure
New Mindset • Recruit landowners to treat every suitable outlet
Limit the Hassle
Factor
• Streamline the process for survey, design, and
installation while informing the landonwers of
expectatations and timelines
Fiscal Agent
• Utilize innovative fiscal agent model to bundle
multiple sites into geographically based
packages

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Interact with ADMC
• Email kkult@admcoalition.com
• @admcoalition
• Become a member https://admcoalition.com/join-admc/
• Visit our website www.admcoalition.com
• Sign-up for the Conservation Drainage Weekly