Following somewhat of a yo-yo spring and a chilly start to Memorial Day weekend, the sun is shining on beach season. Iowa's public beaches officially opened last weekend and with that comes the return of beach monitoring announcements at IEC. 

We previewed the summer with a webinar on May 26, featuring experts in clean water: Dr. Silvia Secchi with the University of Iowa, Dr. Mary Skopec with Iowa Lakeside Labs, and David Thoreson, explorer and nature photographer. You can view the webinar on demand to see trends and stats on beaches in Iowa, learn more about the threats to our waters, and hear ideas for improving water quality in our state.

Our Weekly Water Watch email launched on Friday, sharing the first beach advisories of the season. You can visit our website each Friday or watch for the email to see the weekly advisories from the DNR and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and get news about water issues affecting Iowa. 

As part of our summer efforts, we're offering a new sticker for those who want to spread the word about beach monitoring. Share a photo with our Iowa Water Watch account on Instagram (and follow us!), or make a donation to IEC, and you can get one of these new stickers!

We're talking water all summer long, so stay tuned and join us to get involved in our clean water work. If you have suggestions, questions, or ideas, contact us at iecmail@iaenvironment.org. 

6/8 - Iowa's Power Grid of the Future, Gazette
6/8 - Introduction to Careers in Environmental Law & Policy, ELI
6/9 - Creating a Backyard Buzz, Trees Forever 
6/10 - Mississippi River Town Hall, MRN
6/16 - Coal Plants: The Price Iowans Pay, IEC
6/18 - Diving Into Wetlands, Prairie Rivers of Iowa
6/21 - Water Quality In-Depth Week, Gazette Iowa Ideas
6/22 - Basics of the Clean Water Act, ELI
6/26 - National Canoe Day Fundraiser, Iowa Rivers Revival
6/29 - Supreme Beef Webinar - Save the date! -  IEC and Sierra Club Iowa Chapter

Environmental Jobs Open in Iowa

Several IEC member organizations are hiring for open positions. Consider applying or share with a job seeker in your life.

  • Program Associate, Iowa IPL
  • Mark C. Ackelson Fellowship, INHF
  • Civil Engineer (Water Resources), RDG
  • Solar Installer, Ideal Energy Solar
  • Story County Watershed Coordinator, CDI
  • Development Coordinator, Trees Forever

Weather Whiplash: Rain and water quality 

Dan Haug, Watershed Educator with member organization Prairie Rivers of Iowa, compares the outcomes of water quality monitoring on the Ioway Creek on May 15 vs. the numbers again after a week of heavy rains.

The results? It wasn't just nitrate the rain had delivered. Find out more and read the piece on the Prairie Rivers of Iowa website. 

Gazette - DNR Director won't overturn Supreme Beef decision

Iowa Capital Dispatch - Panel approves contested water rules, eyes dam safety 

Des Moines Register - Will Iowa officials send nature's protections down the river? (opinion)

Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier - Report: Iowa lags in monitoring water quality

Fox 42 - Rebuilding Hamburg: Life in southwest Iowa two years after the flood 

Washington Post - Out in farm country, we're getting fed up with hogs fouling our nests (opinion)

Grist - How a massive cattle feedlot threatens one of Iowa's last pristine waterways

Iowa Capital Dispatch - Lawmakers end solar tax credits, leaving 760 Iowans out of the money

Business Record - Waukee's 'Sunshine Bank' 

KWWL - Iowa solar industry takes big steps towards one day becoming a solar leader

Gazette - Factory farm biogas is bad for Iowa (opinion)

Michigan Radio - Burning coal causes more than air pollution

Iowa Capital Dispatch - Panel: Farm policy changes needed as climate change worsens runoff pollution

Press Citizen - To 'do right by the climate', sustainability leaders at UI reflect on 2020 goals, think ahead to 2030

Daily News - World's lakes are losing oxygen faster than oceans, climate change implicated: study