LTE: Des Moines Waterworks Lawsuit
CCI Member, Ray Harden, from Perry, Iowa wrote an excellent piece about the Des Moines Water Works Lawsuit and the new dirty water attack ad. Check it out!
DES MOINES WATERWORKS LAWSUIT
The T.V. commercial opposing the Des Moines Waterworks legal action against three county drainage districts in northwest Iowa has misleading statements. The commercial gives the impression that individual farmers are being sued, this is incorrect. The legal action is against drainage districts, not farmers or landowners. Under Iowa law the drainage districts are run by the county supervisors, they are responsible for operating and maintaining the drainage district system.
The Des Moines Waterworks (DMWW) is saying that the districts are allowing water that contains known pollutants to be discharged into Iowa's waterways via a drainage ditch is a "point source of pollution" and should be regulated by the Federal Clean Water Act. The discharge from the drainage ditches should be treated the same way as a discharge from a municipal sewage facility. DMWW wants drainage districts to be regulated and be required to have a permit for discharge. This is what the courts will decide.
The most egregious statement made in the T.V. commercial is: " Currently Iowa's rivers are the cleanest they have been in twenty years." The Iowa Clean Water Alliance does not provide any data to backup this claim regarding water quality. It is ironic that the statement was made the same week that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported Iowa's "Impaired Bodies of Water" has increased 15% in the last two years- there are now 725 bodies of water on the list (Des Moines Register May 15). The North Raccoon River, that flows through Dallas County, is one the most polluted.
The "Clean Water Alliance" does not provide any data to backup this statement regarding water quality. I am not seeing the rivers getting cleaner. I do a monthly nitrate test on three drainage tiles that flow into a creek near Perry. From late winter to May these three tiles have consistently had nitrate reading of 15mgm per liter to 20mgm per liter. More that 10mgm per liter is not considered to be safe in drinking water.
I did nitrate tests on the waters of the North Raccoon River, from Greene County to Dallas County on a recent canoe trip and found similar nitrate readings. The river's color is also a sign of water quality- the river was a chocolate brown, indicating a lot of soil erosion. The soil washing into the streams carries fertilizer, manure, and other undesirable chemicals that have a harmful effect on wildlife and humans.
It has been many years since I have caught a walleye or smallmouth bass in the Raccoon River- fish that need clean water. It has been equally as long since I have see a live mussel or clam in the river; they are dying because of nitrates in the water. Where is the clean water the commercial is referring to?
I am pleased the Des Moines Water Works is moving forward with the lawsuit. This action will bring more focus to the problem and hopefully the Iowa Legislature and governor will provide more funds for agricultural conservation practices and regulations to improve Iowa's water quality.
Ray Harden
Perry, Iowa
Learn more
Why do we want Clean Water Act permits issued to factory farms?
Timeline of how CCI members pushed DNR to come into compliance with the Clean Water Act