The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), partnering with eastern Iowa cities and farm organizations, will build up to six strategically placed wetlands to help improve water quality and create wildlife habitat in the high-priority Middle Cedar watershed.

The construction of the wet­­lands are being funded through a $1.15 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Gulf of Mexico program. The wetlands are expected to reduce downstream nitrogen loads by 58,000 pounds per year.

For the wetland project, IDALS is partnering...