Blog For Tag "water quality"

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.

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.

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.

posted by Alicia Vasto on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 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.

posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 In this guest blog from Northeast Iowa RC&D, Ross Evelsizer discusses the importance of recent water quality monitoring. Northeast Iowa RC&D has been coordinating water quality monitoring in northeast Iowa watersheds since 1999. This annual effort started in the Upper Iowa River watershed but has expanded to include the Upper Wapsipinicon and Turkey River watersheds.

posted by Alicia Vasto on Monday, March 11, 2024 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.

posted by Guest Blogger on Thursday, February 29, 2024 In this guest blog, Watershed Coordinator Liv Humphrey discusses the role of the Partners of Scott County Watershed (PSCW) in water monitoring using microbial source tracking. Now working on their analysis, PSCW demonstrates the importance of investigating fecal pollution in Iowa's watersheds.

posted by Alicia Vasto on Friday, December 8, 2023 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.

posted by Guest Blogger on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 In this guest blog, Dr. Jacqueline Comito shares the results of a study on water perceptions in Iowa. The data reveals an ongoing issue: while most Iowans are aware of water quality problems, there is little clarity or expectation about who should fix it.

posted by Michael Schmidt on Friday, August 25, 2023 The EPA recently denied two petitions seeking stronger rules governing concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) filed by national and local environmental groups. IEC Staff Attorney Michael Schmidt explains the petitions, the ruling, and what it means for future CAFO rules in Iowa.