PROGRAM LOOKS TO REDUCE WATERSHED CONTAMINATION

BENTON -- A project seeking to reduce water contamination would be a good one for Scott County according to a conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The SALT Project would reduce the threat of surface and ground water contamination, said Darin Gant, district conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a federal program formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service.

Gant distributed copies of the application to the Scott County Commission Tuesday and presented a brief overview of the proposed $750,000 project.

The 20-page application describes the watershed, its location and general characteristics, critical areas or problems in the watershed, and how the land above the watershed is used.

Previous SALT programs were primarily concerned with erosion, according to Gant. This program's overall goal, however, is to reduce the threat of surface and ground water contamination within the North Cut watershed caused by runoff and infiltration, according to the application.

In particular, the program seeks to address agricultural pollution problems such as nutrients and chemicals contaminating surface and ground water.

The project will treat the 65,065-acre watershed over a period of seven years using conservation buffers of grass and bushes, wetland development projects, improvements to irrigation systems and nutrient and water management plans in conjunction with information and education campaigns.

Other sources of pollution, such as faulty rural resident septic tanks, are also discussed in the application.

The Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District has already received $10,000 to develop the final watershed plan. With the project's approval, another $740,000 will be received, Gant said.

The project will cover the North Cut watershed, roughly a corridor ranging from three to nine miles wide along the east side of Interstate Highway 55 from Commerce down to Miner.

The project is now awaiting final approval from the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation.