By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
Lane Rumelhart is projects manager for the Lake Panorama Association (LPA), a position he has held for five years. One of his job responsibilities is to take a lead role on all Lake Panorama Rural Improvement Zone (RIZ) projects.
In this month’s Q&A, Rumelhart talks about proactive efforts by RIZ to keep sediment and nutrients from upstream locations out of Lake Panorama.
Q. A relatively new project for the Lake Panorama RIZ is one that reimburses farmland owners for some of their costs to plant cover crops after harvest. Tell how the program works.
A. RIZ began its cover crop program in 2022. That year, the RIZ board offered its tenant and another nearby landowner reimbursement to apply cover crops in the fall. A total of 372 acres were planted to cover crops, and the two producers received $15 per acre to help cover their costs to participate.
After a positive response from these two producers, in 2023 the board opened the program to landowners within Guthrie County who farm in the Lake Panorama watershed. Eleven different farms were enrolled totaling 1,320 acres.
For 2024, the RIZ board decided to open the program to the entire watershed. The Lake Panorama watershed covers more than 271,000 acres and extends into three counties — Guthrie, Greene and Carroll. This past fall, program participation increased significantly with 16 farms enrolled totaling 3,128 acres.
A variety of crops are planted on these acres. Some of the common plants include oats, rye and radish/clover mixes. These crops help retain sediment and reduce nutrients from entering our lake. Farmers see significant benefits, as well. Cover crops help build topsoil, retain moisture, aerate the ground and grow to be forage for cattle. Heavier rains in the spring don’t wash valuable topsoil into our water system and soak up extra nutrients the crop didn’t need.
RIZ requires producers to first apply by filling out a one-page document with information on the location of the farm so staff can confirm the acres being applied for are within the watershed. Once an application is confirmed, the producer can plant the cover crop. After the crop is planted, there is an additional, one page form farmers fill out to receive reimbursement.
RIZ requires all pre-approval applications to be turned in by Nov. 30. Reimbursement applications generally are approved shortly after these are received. This cover crop program is a win/win for both interested farmers and Lake Panorama property owners.
RIZ will continue this program in 2025, with a goal to reach 5,000 acres. The same application and reimbursement forms will be used. All 2024 participants will receive the forms in the mail, and new applicants may download the form on RIZ’s website (lakepanoramariz.org) or contact me at the LPA office, 641-755-2301.
Q. There is a new program offered through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) that has the potential to increase the number of wetlands on private property. Tell us about this new opportunity for property owners.
A: RIZ has funded three wetlands on property adjacent, or nearly adjacent, to the lake. All three of these wetlands were expensive projects, funded by RIZ and IDALS. These were all completed between 2015 and 2019. Since then, wetland development on other nearby properties has halted due to mitigation requirements from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Frustrated by the USACE’s interpretations and requirements, IDALS developed a new program to seek out wetland sites that would not require mitigation. RIZ partnered with IDALS and Shive Hattery to identify potential wetland sites further northwest on private land within the Lake Panorama watershed.
RIZ will help with the first phase of the project, which includes identifying landowners wanting to participate and helping Shive Hattery design wetland concepts for owners to review. Once agreements are made with each landowner, the rest of the project will be funded by IDALS. This saves RIZ the construction cost of building the wetlands, and allows us more time to spend identifying areas that could be potential wetland sites.
The majority of the proposed wetland sites will be in low areas of farm fields that currently offer low to no productivity. Each site will require an easement similar to a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contract, and the landowner will remain the owner of the site. This will be a great opportunity for landowners interested in improving water quality, using areas of ground that are otherwise unproductive, and creating some recreational opportunities.
I will start contacting landowners in January to find interested owners. This program is different from others IDALS has sponsored in the past. With RIZ willing to sponsor the first phase of these projects, it could greatly benefit the Lake Panorama community. It also will reach owners outside of the immediate acres of our lake and enhance RIZ’s involvement throughout the entire watershed.
Q. Dredging silt from the upper basin and coves is an ongoing endeavor at Lake Panorama. Will these prevention programs ever be enough to be able to stop dredging?
A. Having such a large watershed, RIZ still needs to dredge each season. This year, the LPA erosion control staff began in March and pumped material until mid-November. Our crew uses one dredge that is manned by two employees during these months. Material is removed through an 18-inch pipe that spills out into nearby sediment basins.
In 2024, the crew removed 136,206 yards of sediment. Large flow events can bring thousands and thousands of yards of sediment into the lake in a short amount of time, typically in the spring. This highlights the importance of having barriers, buffers, cover crops, wetlands and other sources to help slow down water flow and retain sediment during large rainfall events.
Once less material is brought into our lake, RIZ will be able to expand its water quality efforts to other areas. Less sediment also reduces the nutrients, especially phosphorus, that contribute to algae blooms. Wetlands, cover crops and many other water quality initiatives are good for LPA members but also our rural neighbors. I look forward to continuing our work to improve our watershed through RIZ and our great partnerships.