By Paul Wiedemeier, Clive
The Des Moines Register reports that our Iowa State Agriculture Department is finally doing something about the water pollution lawsuit filed nine years ago by the Des Moines Water Works against three counties in NW Iowa that located in the Raccoon River watershed. This area is still contaminating our lakes, rivers and streams with livestock waste and farm chemicals. Our governments’ clean-up efforts are way too little, way too late.
It must be reelection time, time for our do-nothing politicians to throw a bone to our environment, making it look like they are doing something so they can get re-elected, an age-old trick. The government conservation agencies tasked with the job to clean up our drinking water have been starved of funds and resources to do their job right, having de-regulation and unfunded mandates forced on them with no enforcement power or recourse. While big ag and corporate greed are given the green light to flush their crap right at all of us downstream and all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
A win-win would be to fully fund existing conservation and water quality programs located in all 99 counties with adequate money and staff. This would direct much needed water and soil quality funds throughout the state to our county seat towns providing an alliance of local support to clean things up. It would also enliven small towns and small school districts, helping to educate about our living resources and stem the tide of outflow of young people, our brightest and best asset.
Time to throw the lot out, starting at the top with our governors, who have bowed to corporate wishes and decimated our conservation departments and water quality programs for the last several decades. How do these politicians sleep at night knowing the disservice they have done to our most precious natural resources, our land and water? They must be content leaving it to future generations to deal with their shameful neglect of our environment while kissing up to special interests, leaving it to our children and grandchildren to clean up their crap.
Please vote them out!
Paul Wiedemeier is a former Polk County Soil & Water Conservation District commissioner.
