April showers bring a Soil Quality Restoration Field Day

April showers bring May flowers — and the need for storm water management and soil quality restoration. On Saturday, May 14, at 10 a.m., the City of North Liberty will host a Soil Quality Restoration Field Day at 880 Hodge Street to showcase how soil quality restoration works and how it can benefit residents’ lawns.
Soil quality restoration, which combines deep-tine aeration and the spreading of nutrient-rich compost, helps rebuild topsoil which produces healthier lawns that can absorb more storm water, slowing its path to local creeks, streams and rivers, which in turn keeps pollutants out of our rivers, lakes and wetlands. In the photo above, soil quality restoration has been performed on the lawn to the left but not on the right.
As new buildings and homes are constructed, valuable topsoil is removed and the remaining subsoil is compacted by heavy equipment and construction activity. In older homes, topsoil is compacted by time and the elements, and the nutrients get used as grass and other plants grow.
At the field day, participants will learn about soil quality restoration and other storm water management best practices, as well as about the City of North Liberty’s reimbursement program for qualifying storm water quality projects.