Alicia Vasto

Alicia was the former Water Program Director at IEC. She served the Council from 2019 to 2024.

She previously worked as the director of the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition, where she supported environmental educators and advanced environmental literacy. Alicia holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University with a focus on land conservation and management, and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from the University of Notre Dame. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, travel, and yoga.

Blog posts by this Author:

• SRF Spotlight: Council Bluff's Community Projects

  In this blog by Water Program Director Alicia Vasto, she explains Iowa's State Revolving Fund (SRF) and current financing projects in Council Bluffs, IA. The SRF is one of Iowa's primary resources for financing drinking water infrastructure and water quality improvement projects. Between the Clean Water Loan Program and Drinking Water Loan Program, communities, watershed groups, and public water systems can access low-interest loans to finance projects. Read on to learn more.

• Understanding the true scope of the Nishnabotna fertilizer spill

  A recent fertilizer spill at NEW Cooperative in southwest Iowa that entered the East Nishnabotna River killed approximately 750,000 fish over a 60 mile stretch of river. According to reporting from the Iowa Capital Dispatch, it is the largest fish kill in Iowa in a decade and the fifth largest in our state's history. IEC Water Program Director Alicia Vasto shares her dismay in this guest column published in the Gazette on April 2, 2024.

• Advocating for Iowa at MRN's DC Fly-in

  IEC Water Program Director Alicia Vasto traveled to Washington, D.C. March 4-7, 2024, for the Mississippi River Network's (MRN) annual fly-in. This network of supporters advocated on behalf of the Mississippi River watershed, and granted us the opportunity to connect with Iowa legislators.

• The 2023 Gulf Hypoxia Task Force meeting: (No) impetus for change

  Alicia Vasto traveled to Arkansas to attend this year's Gulf Hypoxia Task Force meeting in person to present comments. What she saw and heard reveals no surprises about why nothing seems to change when it comes to fertilizer pollution in Iowa, the Mississippi River Basin, or the Gulf of Mexico.

• 2013 - 2023: A decade of declining water quality in Iowa

  To mark the 10th anniversary of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, IEC launched a new website: decliningdecade.org. Big Ag is pushing a narrative that the NRS is a success, when the numbers tell a different story. Water Program Director Alicia Vasto says more about why stories are good, but data is key and what Iowa's really seen in the past ten years.

• Welcome Back! It's Weekly Water Watch 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.

• Iowa Water Love Stories - memories about water we love

  On this Valentine's Day, IEC staff share our water love stories. From childhood exploration, to boating adventures as adults, to taking their own kids outside, hear what we love about water.

• Pushing through 2022 with dedication to cleaner water in Iowa

  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.

• An Individual Duty to Protect Water

  In 1987, the Iowa legislature passed the Iowa Groundwater Protection Act. IEC suggests it is time to create an Iowa Surface Water Protection Act as part of the efforts to advance the Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

• If Placemaking is a Priority for Iowa, It's Time to Fund the Trust

  Last month, the Governor's Economic Recovery Advisory Board released their recommendations for how the state should address challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Alicia Vasto shares how their goals for placemaking and improved water quality in Iowa means it's time to fund the trust.

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