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Subsurface tile drainage of crop land is a major source of the nitrate load to surface water in the Midwest. Drainage water management (also known as controlled drainage) can reduce nitrate losses from drained fields while maintaining drainage intensity during critical periods of the crop growth cycle. Impacts of the practice on nitrate loss, soil quality, and farm profitability are being studied through paired-field trials on three private farms and a Purdue University farm. Drain flow and nitrate concentration are being monitored in each paired field to quantify nitrate load reductions due to drainage water management. Potential impacts on agricultural sustainability are also being assessed by measuring management practice impacts on soil physical properties, earthworms, plant growth, plant N content, yield, and profitability of both conventional and managed drainage for each paired site. This paper presents site selection, design and installation of the flow monitoring system, and an overview of soil and crop measurements to be made.