Newsroom For Tag "Water recreation"

New report reveals true costs of CAFOs in Iowa

posted 11/14/2023
Iowans are shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to treat their drinking water and pay for treatment of life-threatening health care issues caused by nitrate pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the state, according to a new report published by IEC.

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IEC releases new infographics outlining need for Numeric Nutrient Criteria

posted 7/28/2023
Nutrient pollution from fertilizer (excess nitrogen and phosphorus) is the state's most severe water quality problem. The Clean Water Act requires states to set water quality standards limiting the these types of pollutants and offers two approaches: narrative and numeric. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) currently uses relies on narrative criteria for fertilizer pollution control. IEC shares new infographics that illustrate why this is harming our waters.

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IEC launches website Iowa's Declining Decade

posted 5/26/2023
As Iowa's Big Ag groups celebrate a 'Defining Decade' this month, IEC unveiled our new website 'Iowa's Declining Decade' marking the tenth anniversary of the state's Nutrient Reduction Strategy. DecliningDecade.org cuts through big ag propaganda and reminds Iowans of how little progress is actually being made on the state's pollution reduction goals through the taxpayer-funded NRS.

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IEC and ELPC Oppose MidAmerican Plan to Dump Toxins in Missouri River

posted 4/12/2023
Environmental groups submitted comments to MidAmerican Energy opposing a plan for the utility to dump toxic coal ash leachate into the Missouri River. The leachate, runoff that collects at the bottom of the site's coal ash landfill, contains dozens of toxic pollutants, including mercury, lead, arsenic, cyanide, and other toxic heavy metals.

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A summer worth watching: The 2022 recreation season

posted 9/9/2022
The Iowa DNR has ended weekly beach monitoring for the year. Before we turn our focus fully to fall, let's recap the major water stories of the summer.

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IEC calls for action to reduce nutrient pollution

posted 8/29/2022
The Iowa Environmental Council released a report calling on state agencies to take action after nearly ten years without progress under the state's Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS). The report, The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy: Ten Years and No Progress, calls for a timeline and changes in policy to achieve the state's pollution reduction goals.

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What to know about the "Brain-Eating Amoeba", Naegleria fowleri

posted 7/29/2022
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Iowa Health and Human Services, and the Iowa DNR confirmed the presence of Naegleria fowleri, or the “brain-eating amoeba,” in the Lake of Three Fires this week. Naturally, this news has been raising alarms for recreational water users across the state. But what are the risks to Iowans?

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Mississippi River named among America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2022

posted 4/19/2022
American Rivers today named the Mississippi River one of America's Most Endangered Rivers® of 2022, highlighting the threats that habitat destruction and pollution, combined with climate impacts, pose to millions of people across the basin.

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Report: Clean Water Act's Promises Half Kept at Half Century

posted 3/17/2022
A new report by the Environmental Integrity Project shows the promises of the Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, are only 50% met 50 years later. IEC's Water Program Associate Director Alicia Vasto participated in the report release, discussing the agricultural exemption in the CWA and the impact that has had on water quality in Iowa and the U.S.

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2022 Impaired Waters List in Iowa: Concerning Trends Continue

posted 2/22/2022
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) released the draft 2022 303(d) Impaired Waters List for the state of Iowa on Thursday, February 17. The report finds that of the waters tested by IDNR staff for the 2022 report, 54% have impairments.

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