Construction Update!
Posted in Categories Stewardship
During the week of October 20 through 24, the Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation (CLCF) has been working with Washington County Conservation Staff to construct three berms on CLCF’s Weninger Property.
A berm is essentially a raised mound of earth with a drainage system running perpendicular to the slope. The three berms on CLCF’s Weninger Property will mitigate water and sediment runoff into Big Cedar Lake by slowing water as it flows down the slope towards the lake.
This property was chosen for this berm project due to its proximity to Big Cedar Lake and the shared priority of protecting the lake’s water quality and the property’s high-quality soils. More than half of the property’s soils are categorized by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as prime farmland and soils of statewide importance. These soils have the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing crops with minimum inputs of fuel, fertilizer, pesticides, and labor.
CLCF purchased the 32-acre Weninger Property on August 23, 2024, with funding from Washington County’s Conservation & Heritage Pilot Program and CLCF’s supporters.
Once the property was protected, Washington County Conservation Staff introduced CLCF to NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which is the NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands. This program provides critical funds towards the berm construction.
These conservation practices have also been implemented on CLCF’s Rudorf Farm, which is adjacent to CLCF’s Weninger Property. In the 1990s, two berms were built on the property with the same goal of reducing soil erosion and water runoff into Big Cedar Lake. Visit the Rudorf Farm to get a sneak peek into these conservation practices in action!
