Managing Water Quality Issues with Ecosystem Restoration 

While Iowa has long been a productive agricultural state, intensive manipulation of the land has degraded Iowa’s air, water, and soil. More than 90% of Iowa’s landscape is privately owned agricultural land, with the majority used for row cropping. Farmers are expected to produce a strong yield and raise more livestock year after year, regardless of environmental impacts. Due to these profound alterations of its ecosystems, Iowa’s land is ill-equipped to withstand climate change. Wetlands, which serve as essential natural infrastructure during floods, are replaced with tile drainage. Heat-resistant prairie plants are killed with herbicides to make way for profitable monoculture. Endemic bird and insect species are harmed by pesticides, which results in less biodiversity. This strategic, money-hungry gambit on Iowa’s land is dangerous for its future. 

Iowa's water bodies, including wetlands, rivers, and lakes, are vital assets for the state. Keeping these waterbodies clean and safe for recreation is contingent on conservation practices by farmers. According to the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) and verified in the recent Central Iowa Source Water Resource Assessment (CISWRA), 92% of the nitrogen in Iowa waters comes from nonpoint sources, the vast majority of which are agricultural sources. Nonpoint sources of nitrogen contamination do not originate from a single source like a pipe or discharge outlet (although tile drainage captured in pipes is treated as a nonpoint source). In Iowa, where agriculture is the cornerstone of the economy and landscape, nitrogen comes primarily from farm fields, carried by rainfall or snowmelt into the state’s rivers, streams and groundwater. This nitrogen often originates from the application of fertilizer and animal manure, excreted from Iowa’s 24 million hogs, 54 million chickens, and 3.5 million head of cattle.  

Join us on September 16 at the Olmsted Center at Drake University in Des Moines where you'll have the opportunity to learn about key environmental issues, develop deeper relationships within the community, and build momentum for action and change in Iowa. Choose from sessions in three tracks: policy, advocacy, and community-building, with a focus on the most urgent environmental issues facing Iowa today, including water quality, renewable energy, climate change, environmental justice, and public health. 

This year, your admission ticket gets you access to 25-plus speakers, including two powerful keynote presenters: award-winning journalist Florence Williams, who wrote the acclaimed book "The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative," and EMMY-winning meteorologist and climate expert Chris Gloninger, whose story about his experiences in Iowa made national news. We’re also thrilled to welcome investigative journalist Mariah Blake, whose compelling article in the New York Times was recently released as a book about one town's fight against PFAS and the history that give rise to forever chemicals. See the full agenda and speaker line-up here.

Political Challenges to Iowa's Water Quality Concerns

The Central Iowa Source Water Resource Assessment (CISWRA), titled Currents of Change, is a groundbreaking scientific study authored by 16 water quality experts to identify and address key concerns for the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. The experts confirmed that central Iowa’s waterways are significantly impacted by agricultural pollution, particularly nutrient runoff, which poses serious risks to public health. 

Some state leaders have already said they will not address water quality during the next legislative session, despite a massive public demand for action. 

Kerri Johannsen, IEC's Senior Director of Policy and Programs, is concerned when private interest combat environmental regulation. “People in Polk County and across the state are facing a water crisis but we cannot begin to make progress until all Iowans, including decision-makers, understand the urgency of this moment,” Johannsen says, "...our elected officials have a responsibility to do everything they can to find a way forward for the sake of the health of the people of this state.”

Water Events from IEC and Our Partners

• September 1: Driftless Water Defenders Backbone State Park Picnic
• September 4: ICCI Cancer Gag Act Meeting
• September 9-10: Iowa Water Conference
• September 11: Integrating Wildlife and Agriculture: Creating Sustainable Habitat on Working Farms
• September 16: IEC Annual Conference: Pathways to Action
• September 20: Des Moines Izaak Walton League Iowa Outdoor Expo

Ottumwa Coal Permit Hearing
On September 3, the Iowa DNR will hold a public hearing on the Interstate Power and Light (IPL) - Ottumwa Generating Station. Concerned about coal pollution in your air and water? Join the call on Google Meet; the link is available in the hearing announcement.

DNR Triennial Review for Water Quality
Every three years, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) releases a triennial review work plan. On Thursday, September 18, and Tuesday, September 23, the DNR will host public meetings to talk about water quality standards. This provides an opportunity to uplift concerns like nutrient runoff and microcystin pollution standards that are not yet adopted by the DNR.

Hear from IEC's Water Program Director

Hello, Weekly Water Watch readers!

Thank you for joining us this summer to track the DNR's beach safety advisories and recent water news. Similar to last monitoring season, IEC will publish one more edition of Weekly Water Watch to recap this summer's advisories and compare the data from previous years.

The DNR also publishes its own weekly data summary table, which can be found on its new beach monitoring website. If you're curious, previous weeks' data will be available on that website in addition to a year end summary.

Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend!
- Colleen Fowle, IEC Water Program Director