Environmental Groups Call on Iowa Department of Natural Resources to Protect Iowa's Lakes

Call to adopt numeric criteria to measure and protect recreational lakes

Des Moines, Iowa -- The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) and Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) are calling on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to establish numeric nutrient criteria for Iowa’s recreational lakes.

The environmental groups filed a petition with the IDNR in November, making this the second time the two groups have petitioned the IDNR on this issue. The agency’s Environmental Protection Commission will discuss the history of numeric nutrient criteria requests in Iowa and the petition at their upcoming meeting on December 18.  

Numeric nutrient criteria, a missing component of the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy, would establish benchmarks for the state’s recreational lakes, identifying the threshold amount of nutrient pollution that Iowa lakes can withstand while still supporting safe recreational uses. Establishing numeric nutrient criteria as requested by the petition is necessary to protect Iowa lakes designated for recreational use and is therefore required under the federal Clean Water Act.

“Setting numeric limits for nutrient pollution in our lakes is essential for protecting public health and the environment,” says Josh Mandelbaum, an attorney at ELPC. “These limits provide a clear, non-variable standard for the state to use to assess water quality, determine which of our lakes are excessively polluted, and decide when and where to take action – before recurring algae blooms become an even larger problem than they already are.”

Agriculture is a primary source of nutrient pollution (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus), according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When levels of nutrient pollution become excessive, they can cause harmful algal blooms, also called cyanobacteria or “blue-green” algae, to grow in lakes. Under certain conditions, these blooms can release toxins like microcystin that can cause illnesses in people and animals.

The IDNR has routinely monitored for microcystin at state park beaches located at Iowa lakes. The monitoring data shows an overall increasing trend in the number of microcystin exceedances/advisories issued by the IDNR annually since 2006. The 2012 Nutrient Reduction Strategy sets no specific numeric goals or benchmarks for water bodies in Iowa, making it difficult to accurately measure how far the state has come toward reaching the 45% reduction without numeric criteria to measure against. After six years of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, Iowa lakes remain threatened by excessive nutrient pollution.

Utilizing numeric nutrient criteria would provide transparency, improve decision making, and increase fiscal responsibility, argues Cindy Lane, Water Program Director at IEC. “There are limited public dollars to restore our lakes and implement protective conservation practices. Knowing which lakes have exceeded or are close to exceeding recommended levels of nutrient pollution will allow the state to better utilize those limited resources and triage our most important recreational lakes first – lakes that may also be designated for drinking water use or that generate significant economic benefits.”

According to a recent IDNR report on lake restoration, visits to Iowa lakes generate $1.2 billion in annual spending. 6 in 10 Iowans visit lakes in the state multiple times in a year.

“Protecting our recreational lakes is important to Iowa’s economic and public health,” says Jennifer Terry, Executive Director at IEC. “Iowans cannot afford the cost of not having safe public places to recreate and be healthy and active. Our rural economies and businesses cannot afford to lose the economic benefits that recreational lakes provide.”

The environmental groups and the EPA have been calling on the state to set numeric criteria for more than a decade. Under the guidance of an advisory panel, the IDNR developed recommended nutrient criteria for Iowa’s recreational lakes in 2008 but failed to then implement those recommendations. The recent petition is the second request by the IEC and ELPC to adopt these standards.

Says Mandelbaum, “It’s time for the DNR to act on the scientific evidence and the requirements of the Clean Water Act. It is time to adopt these lake standards to protect the public health and economic well-being of Iowans who rely on, use and enjoy their lakes.” 

1. nitrate pollution
2. phosphorus pollution
3. water quality