Associated Press
02/13/06
Fight continues for clean water in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa is one of the last states in the nation to protect
rivers, lakes and streams as required by the 1972 federal Clean Water Act, and
pollution opponents are still fighting for change.
The Environmental Protection Commission ended eight years of debate in
January by approving limits on water pollutants. The rules are aimed at bacteria,
which can threaten the health of humans and animals, and ammonia, which
harms fish and aquatic plants.
But state lawmakers could still block any changes. For more than three decades,
political opposition and cost concerns have kept Iowa from complying with clean
water requirements.
If that continues, groups such as the Iowa Environmental Council are likely to sue
and demand that federal law be enforced. Judges have consistently backed
stricter limits on water pollutants in similar cases.
"To my knowledge, there is no state that is out of compliance like Iowa is," said
Albert Ettinger, a Chicago lawyer representing Iowa environmental groups.
The Clean Water Act requires that rivers be protected for recreation and aquatic
life, unless studies prove that would be impossible.
Since the law was enacted in 1972, Iowa has lagged behind the rest of the
nation. City officials have pressured state lawmakers against making changes
because of the high costs that would be involved.
To properly reduce ammonia and bacteria, many cities would have to build new
sewage plants that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Some officials have
claimed that most of Iowa's pollution comes from farms, not cities.
The state Department of Natural Resources estimates that 1,500 sewage
treatment plants in cities and industrial plants across Iowa must improve or at
least change their operations to meet the rules. Many Iowans could see their
water and sewer bills go up $35 to $40 a month.
Iowa didn't get federal money for expensive sewer projects, as some states did in
the 1970s, because it didn't set required water quality standards, Ettinger said.
"Iowa basically missed the gravy train," he said. "I have no idea what they were
thinking in Iowa."
According to Iowa State University, rivers in the state contain some of the
highest levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in the world.
The water source for the Des Moines area, the Raccoon River, averages bacteria
at levels 14 times the federal limit for human contact. The river's water frequently
has concentrations several times higher than those recorded in New Orleans
after Hurricane Katrina.
Clean up the bacteria, and Iowa could be a big tourism draw, said Nate
Hoogeveen of Des Moines, author of a book about the state's rivers.
"If we were able to have very clean water, Iowa would be a river destination for
many people," Hoogeveen said. "But people need to be able to be comfortable
that they don't face a health threat. You stop on a sandbar for lunch, wipe your
hands on your ankles and start eating, and you may have a problem." – Also ran
in: Sioux City Journal