A "lab-on-a-drone" collects a water sample near a tile outlet draining a farm field. Photo provided by Jonathan Claussen, Iowa State University mechanical engineering. Iowa State researchers have ...

KCCI EIGHT NEWS AT FIVE STARTS RIGHT NOW. WATER QUALITY RESEARCH IS TAKING TO THE SKY. IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS AND STUDENTS ARE USING THESE DRONES TO MEASURE NITRATE LEVELS IN THE WATER.

AMES, Iowa – The underground tiles that drain farm fields can release water into remote and shallow waterways. It’s not always easy to get out there with equipment to sample and test for agricultural ...