About the field day: Join the IL Land Improvement Contractor's Association, The Nature Conservancy, the IL Sustainable Ag Partnership, and others from Illinois' agricultural, drainage, and conservation communities for the installation of a saturated buffer along the east branch of the Embarras River in Champaign County.

Participants in this open house style field day will have opportunities to view different components of a saturated buffer system and to learn about the site characteristics that make them most effective for nitrate removal. In addition to the saturated buffer installation, industry partners will demonstrate advances in tile technology that can result in more effective water management, and conservation groups will be available to discuss opportunities for managing nutrients in the field and for improving wildlife habitat.

Lunch presentation: Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions managing water in a changing climate. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP below if you intend to stay for lunch.

Location Information: The installation site is located at the SW corner of the intersection of County Road 300N and County Road 2100E (aka County Road 12), about 3 miles north of Longview, IL. Upon arrival, please follow posted parking signs.

What is a saturated buffer? A saturated buffer is an edge-of-field conservation practice in which a control structure diverts the flow from the tile outlet to a lateral distribution line. The lateral distribution line runs parallel to the buffer. As the water is diverted to this line, saturation occurs. Under the saturated conditions, denitrifying bacteria and vegetation remove nutrients from the water .