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posted by Cody Smith on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Lead in drinking water is a critical public health threat for Iowans, and new data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency late last year showed how urgent action is needed in Iowa. Lead is a known contaminant in drinking water, contributing to serious health and developmental problems, especially for children and pregnant women. Read on to learn more.

posted by Sarah Howe on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Glyphosate - a key ingredient used in agricultural pesticides such as Roundup - is the most widely used herbicide in the world. In 1974, Monsanto introduced the herbicide for agricultural use under the Roundup brand name; Roundup Ready soybean seeds were approved for use by the EPA ahead of the 1996 growing season after which use of glyphosate increased significantly. Read on to learn more.

posted by Cody Smith on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 When we think about our environment, we often think about our air, our water, and, in Iowa especially, we think about our soil. In terms of agricultural health, Iowa was gifted with some of the healthiest soil in human history. Yet, buried in the soil that has sustained life in Iowa for millennia lays another naturally occurring element: radon. Read on to learn more.

posted by Sarah Howe on Friday, September 5, 2025 Since 2014, IEC has monitored and reported beach advisory statistics to promote public safety and awareness of harmful pollutants to Iowa's recreational water bodies. Since IEC began tracking advisories in 2014, this year has had the highest number of state advisories, and 20 more advisories than the 2024 beach season. Read on to learn more.

posted by Sarah Howe on Friday, August 29, 2025 While Iowa has long been a productive agricultural state, intensive manipulation of the land has degraded Iowa's air, water, and soil. More than 90% of Iowa's landscape is privately owned agricultural land, with the majority used for row cropping. Farmers are expected to produce a strong yield and raise more livestock year after year, regardless of environmental impacts. Read on to learn more.

posted by Cody Smith on Friday, July 25, 2025 Extreme heat has dangerous impacts on our health and our infrastructure. Heat waves are the deadliest form of natural disasters in the U.S., and Iowa has not been spared from this growing threat.

posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 After World War II, American meat production shifted towards industrial farms due to high demand, antibiotics, and the mechanization of agriculture. This increase in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), an industrialization of livestock production that keeps large groups of animals in a small area and generates massive quantities of manure. Read on to learn more.

posted by Michael Schmidt on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Iowa adopted a state water plan in 1985, but has not developed a comprehensive plan since then. The term "water plan" refers to the state's system of regulating the use of its surface and groundwater resources. A state water plan should address all aspects of the water cycle, including precipitation, soil moisture, stream flow, and flooding. We focus here on one important aspect of a plan, groundwater management.

posted by Guest Blogger on Friday, June 27, 2025 Iowa is currently facing an unprecedented drinking water crisis. Recent reports indicate alarming nitrate levels in the Raccoon River; so high that city officials enacted emergency measures such as lawn water bans, to ensure water treatment facilities could comply with regulatory standards for safe drinking water. Unfortunately, at least for pregnant women, any level of nitrate in drinking water appears unsafe.

posted by Colleen Fowle on Friday, June 20, 2025 Nitrates are naturally occurring chemicals found in soil, water, and air. They contain nitrogen and oxygen, which are required by plants and animals for growth and development. Nitrates are negatively charged particles (ions), so they bond to other substances in the environment and dissolve easily in water. Read more about nitrates here.