Sarah Howe

Water and Climate Resiliency Specialist

Phone: 515-244-1194 x 220

Email: howe@iaenvironment.org

Sarah Howe joined IEC in 2023. Before starting at IEC, Sarah worked as a Planning Consultant for The Land Conservancy of New Jersey, where she authored municipal open space, recreation, farmland, flood acquisition, and environmental resource inventory plans. She also served as a Research Assistant for Chicago’s Metropolitan Planning Council, focusing on Chicago’s lakefront climate adaptation and equitable water utilities. Sarah holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago in Urban Planning & Policy. In her free time, Sarah is an avid reader, runner, and rock climber.

Blog posts by this Author:

  • Iowa's Impaired Waters List: Revisions & Interventions

    Iowa's Impaired Waters List identifies the lakes, wetlands, streams that do not meet water quality standards for point source and non-point source pollutants. The DNR analyzed 1,428 waterbody segments for the state's Impaired Waters List. EPA evaluated the state's submission and determined in November that it was not fully consistent with the requirements of the Clean Water Act. Read on for more.

  • Lead & Copper Rule Improvements: Updates from the EPA

    In May, Water & Climate Resiliency Specialist Sarah Howe wrote Lead Service Lines and Replacement Efforts in Iowa to dig into the legacy of lead service lines (LSLs) in Iowa and share information from the DNR and federal resources to help Iowans as they think about their infrastructure needs. In October, the Biden-Harris Administration released their final Lead & Copper Rule Improvements as part of the Investing in America Agenda. Read on to learn more.

  • From Texas to Iowa: The Impact of Juneteenth

    Juneteenth (short for "June Nineteenth") is a federal holiday commemorating the liberation of slaves in 1865. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. This year, IEC is commemorating Juneteenth by advocating and uplifting the work of Iowan celebrations, while also holding space for the decades of environmental inequities that continue across the state. Read on to learn more.

  • Lead Service Lines and Replacement Efforts in Iowa

    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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