The Izaak Walton League of America’s Iowa division has started a grassroots campaign to raise funds for a water quality monitoring program, formerly funded by the state, at the University of Iowa. The Iowa Water Quality Information System, or IWQIS, gives real-time measures of pH, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, discharge rates and temperature in streams across […]
water pollution
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa groups tell congressional delegation bill would ‘gut’ Clean Water Act
Environmental and community groups from Iowa sent a letter Thursday to the state’s congressional delegation urging them to oppose a House bill that would “gut critical clean water protections.” The groups in the letter say Iowa is “on the frontlines of a drinking water emergency” and the changes the bill plans to make to the […]
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‘We clearly have a problem’: Des Moines Water Works opposes EPA decision to rescind impaired water designations
Officials from Des Moines Water Works said Thursday a decision from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pertaining to water quality did “not align” with the “operational and financial” challenges the utility has faced in providing safe drinking water to Iowans. EPA previously designated seven river segments, including two connected to Des Moines’ source waters, as […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowans protest water quality issues outside of event with Gov. Reynolds
The sound of honking caused several heads to turn toward nearby Fleur Drive during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa at the historic Butler Mansion in Des Moines. A small crowd of protesters gathered outside of the Thursday event with signs decrying Iowa’s water quality, which incited the honks. The protesters […]
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With no plan to manage groundwater in Iowa, Big Ag threatens the aquifer supplies most households rely upon
Friday the 13th was a lucky day this June for the southwest Iowa city of Avoca, pop. 1,700. Restaurants along Main Street had their best week since problems with the city’s water supply began. “It was the first time we hit our standard Friday mark in weeks,” Andrea Radd, owner of Raddberry’s Bakery and Cafe, […]
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Polk County water report pins unhealthy rivers on ag pollution
A long-awaited scientific report commissioned by Polk County says farm pollution threatens the ability to drink clean water and to safely interact with central Iowa streams, Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. The county announced its Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment in 2023 and heralded it as a first-of-its-kind, unbiased and comprehensive examination of the watersheds […]
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Lawsuit challenges Reynolds’ authority in rulemaking process
A group of Iowans is suing the State of Iowa, alleging Gov. Kim Reynolds has no authority to require agencies such as the Department of Natural Resources to adopt regulations that are less burdensome on industry. The lawsuit was filed recently in Polk County District Court by Steve Veysey, a fly fisherman and clean water […]
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Water advocates challenge DNR final decision on permit for cattle facility near Bloody Run Creek
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued a final action on a water-use permit to a 10,000-head cattle operation in Clayton County, following a years-long legal battle with an area environmental group. The group, Driftless Water Defenders, announced Thursday it would appeal the DNR decision to renew the permit. A group of citizens initially challenged […]
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EPA confirms additions to Iowa’s impaired waters list
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency affirmed its November decision to add seven additional segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters, following a public comment period. EPA announced in November it had partially approved the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ assessment of surface water quality in the state and called for the inclusion of additional segments […]
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EPA adds seven segments to Iowa’s 2024 impaired water list and questions Iowa’s assessment of nitrogen pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, after rejecting a portion of Iowa’s 2024 list of impaired water segments, is now seeking public comment on its decision to add seven water segments to the list. Under the Clean Water Act, states are required to assess surface-water quality and submit a report to the EPA every two years […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Des Moines area residents asked to ‘hold off’ on lawn watering as high nitrate levels threaten drinking water supply in Central Iowa
Residents of Iowa’s largest metro area are being advised they “may need to reduce or hold off on lawn watering altogether,” as Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) and Central Iowa Water Works work to ensure the drinking water they provide to more than 20 percent of the population remains safe. The rains in recent months […]
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Many Iowa rivers are brimming with nitrate
Nitrate contamination of Iowa’s rivers has surged in recent weeks amid heavy, widespread rainfall, according to data collected by the Iowa Water Quality Information System. Concentrations of nitrate in several large waterways — including the Boone, Cedar, Iowa and Turkey rivers — have recently reached four-year peaks, the data show. Further, many of the affected […]
