Blog For Tag "DNR"

  • Lead service lines and replacement efforts in Iowa

    posted by Sarah Howe on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 Lead service lines (LSLs) and galvanized steel lead lines are pipes used to distribute water from a water utility. These types of pipelines were widely used prior to 1900 and well into the 20th century, although there was research even then to suggest that lead exposure had detrimental effects to human health. In the United States, LSLs were allowed, and often mandated, until the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act Lead Ban.

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  • New coal ash regulations protect Iowans from toxic water pollution

    posted by Michael Schmidt on Monday, May 13, 2024 New EPA regulations on coal ash will have an immediate impact in Iowa. On May 3rd, IEC submitted public comments on a draft permit that proposed to allow discharges of coal ash leachate upstream from the drinking water intake for Ottumwa.

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  • Iowa Water Recreation Survey: Do you recreate in Iowa's waters?

    posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 In this guest blog, Lyndy Holt shares results from her Master's work with the University of Iowa's Healthy Lakes Initiative. Iowa Water Watch readers were invited to participate in the Iowa Water Recreation Survey in the April 2023 newsletter. The survey yielded 1,638 respondents throughout the state and established the channels that Iowans use to learn about water health and safety.

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  • Why we must ensure ALL Iowans are protected with beach advisory signage

    posted by Angelisa Belden on Thursday, August 3, 2023 A roadtrip to get photos of an ongoing toxic algae bloom reinforced the need to expand water quality advisory signage to protect ALL Iowans.

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  • Feedlot Rule Update: Round 2 of Many

    posted by Michael Schmidt on Friday, June 16, 2023 Iowa DNR is in the process of updating the rules defining how manure is stored at AFOs and then applied on the landscape. This rulemaking is a chance for DNR to protect Iowans while saving them money, but we need stronger rules to make that happen. The draft rules have some changes, but not enough - and the process is more complicated thanks to an executive order.

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  • Welcome Back! It's Weekly Water Watch 2023

    posted by Alicia Vasto on Friday, May 26, 2023 With the Memorial Day holiday upon us, the start of summer recreation, and weekly beach monitoring, summer has begun! With that comes the start of IEC's Weekly Water Watch series. Read on to learn about new advisory data and activities this summer.

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  • Pushing through 2022 with dedication to cleaner water in Iowa

    posted by Alicia Vasto on Monday, December 26, 2022 Water Program Director Alicia Vasto shares her thoughts as we wrap up a year of work on water and land stewardship in Iowa at IEC. She reflects about the effort, hard work, and dedication to IEC's mission of clean water in Iowa, while also sharing valuable resources and looking forward to the coming year.

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  • Perspectives on River Restoration

    posted by Guest Blogger on Monday, October 10, 2022 Central Iowa Water Resources Designer, Will Gaskins, and Water Resource Engineer, Rai Tokuhisa, recently attended a River Restoration Toolbox Training hosted by Iowa Rivers Revival in partnership with Iowa DNR and Iowa Stormwater Education Partnership (ISWEP). In this guest blog post, they share their experiences and some of the lessons they learned.

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  • Where's the Beef? Near Outstanding Iowa Waters.

    posted by Michael Schmidt on Friday, June 4, 2021 Supreme Beef is in the watershed of Bloody Run Creek, a trout stream designated by the DNR as an Outstanding Iowa Water in a unique Iowa landscape. That unique topography means the manure produced by the facility will likely harm the creek, and will likely strip Bloody Run Creek of that special designation.

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  • When it comes to CAFOs, try, try again

    posted by Michael Schmidt on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 A company seeking to site an 11,600-head cattle feedlot in northeast Iowa wasn't giving up on getting DNR approval. IEC Staff Attorney Michael Schmidt reviews the timeline and how Supreme Beef and DNR found a way to make the massive feedlot happen.

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