Iowa lakes, rivers and streams:

Waste receptacles or natural resources belonging to the people of Iowa?

In Iowa, as in other states, we have a state agency which grants wastewater discharge permits to regulated businesses, industries and municipalities, giving them permission to dump pollution in our rivers and streams. State-established water quality standards and the current condition of the water at the point of pollution discharge determine how much pollution will be allowed to be discharged.

Water quality standards, as currently implemented in Iowa, determine the maximum amount of pollution allowed before the water becomes so polluted that the public health or health of aquatic life is threatened. Iowa Water quality “standards” are lines that pollutant levels cannot cross without harming drinking water, people who swim in the water, people who eat the fish, etc.

It is important that Iowans realize that Iowa’s current water quality standards are not actually preserving good water quality in Iowa, but, in fact, are allowing our waters to border on the brink of disgust. That’s why Antidegradation Rules are so important.

Antidegradation Rules are required by the federal Clean Water Act, but have never been implemented in Iowa. In essence, these rules ensure that no new pollution is allowed which would lower the water quality below its current level, unless that new pollution is determined to be necessary (no reasonable alternative exists) and it is a byproduct of something important for the economic and social development in the community. Area citizens must decide if the public benefits of the project justify the loss of water quality.

Because of our state’s failure to implement Antidegradation Rules, industries, businesses and municipalities in Iowa may have the impression that our rivers, streams and lakes are waste receptacles. They may believe that they have a right to dump pollution into these “waste receptacles” until the line—the water quality standard—is crossed. And, in practice, that is exactly the right they have been granted if they hold an Iowa permit to discharge pollution.

But Iowa waters belong to the citizens of Iowa. Under the federal Clean Water Act, citizens have the legal right to demand that our state preserve good water quality in our lakes, rivers and streams. Iowa citizens have the right to demand that we wait no longer to implement Antidegradation Rules in Iowa.

Last October the Iowa Environmental Council petitioned the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to implement antidegradation rules in Iowa. As a result of that petition, the state is now moving forward to develop Antidegradation Rules that will assure that current water quality will be maintained wherever possible. Formal rulemaking is expected to begin in July 2008 and to be finalized in early 2009. But stakeholder meetings have already begun.

Iowans value their lakes, streams and rivers for recreation and drinking water. With the Iowa Department of Natural Resources finally beginning the process of making Antidegradation Rules, many Iowans are speaking out to ensure that the water quality in their favorite lake, stream or river will be preserved. Check with your local river or lake preservation group to see what you can do to help.

300 Rivers and Stream Assessments Studied by

Iowa Environmental Protection Commission

April 17, 2008...The Environmental Protection Commission met April 8 and April 16 to take action on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommendations on the recreational and aquatic life uses for 300 rivers and streams across the state.  During the recent public comment period on these use assessments the DNR received 2145 comments with most of the comments related to the proposed reductions in recreational use protections for over 2900 miles of streams.  The public comments have had a significant impact on the DNR recommendations with more than 850 miles of rivers and streams changed to retain the highest recreational use designation that is protective of full body immersion in the water (Class A1) and children’s recreational uses (Class A3).

Thanks go out to everyone who took the time to provide information to DNR – you have really made a difference!

Public comments and a great presentation by DNR assisted Commission members in completing their review of DNR proposed stream designations. The DNR based their recommendations on site visits and public comments.  The stream designation recommendations were approved by the EPC, with amendments regarding 18 stream segments.

This was the first of three assessment "packages" to be submitted to the Commission by the DNR.  The next round of stream use designation proposals will occur sometime this fall.

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Report:

Trouble Downstream:

Upgrading Conservation Compliance

As the five major commodity crops reap billions in taxpayer dollars each year, nearly 75 percent of farmer requests for voluntary conservation assistance go unfunded and soil erosion rules for crop subsidy recipients are barely enforced. The result: 1.7 billion tons of topsoil erodes off agricultural fields nationwide, polluting America’s waters and fisheries with sediment and millions of pounds of fertilizer and pesticides, according to a new report from Environmental Working Group, Trouble Downstream: Upgrading Conservation Compliance. Click on the following link to learn more and download the report: http://www.ewg.org/reports/compliance.

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