Sustaining Wildlife: Prairie Management at Newton Utilities Department's Water Treatment Plant

Sustaining Wildlife: Prairie Management at Newton Utilities Department's Water Treatment Plant

The Water Treatment Plant of the Newton Utilities Department, along with its well fields, sits on around 80 acres of prairie grass. The grassland was planted years ago to establish an eco-friendly cover for the open areas. The water treatment plant staff mows the path leading to each well and the surrounding property. The prairie was seeded with native plantings, which provide adequate cover for various animals, like turkeys, pheasants, rabbits, deer, and many other critters. Once a year, in the spring, the staff burns off sections of the prairie to kill weeds and promote better growth of big blue stem, little blue stem, coneflowers, switchgrass, black-eyed susan, and a mix of other species native to Iowa. The staff rotates the sections they burn yearly, leaving enough cover for any wildlife habitat. They backfire into the wind to maintain control and do a better job of burning off dead vegetation to give the new growth more exposure. Before burning, Jasper County Dispatch and the neighbors are always notified to keep everyone informed. Fires are entirely extinguished upon completion to ensure that adjacent fields or properties are not accidentally ignited.