Letter to the Editor: Submitted by Karen Carlton

To the Editor:

Iowa has a nitrate problem in its water. A large part of the problem stems from water run-off from crop land fertilizer as well as farm animals’ waste.

We know that Iowa has multiple creeks, streams and rivers which feed into the Mississippi River. In fact, most of Iowa’s waters flow east. That takes in millions of farm acres where run-off accounts for the large majority of the nitrates getting into our water. Adding tile in the fields quickens the water movement.

In Allamakee County, our drinking water comes from wells, both private and municipal. Our porous bedrock is the problem. Go further south and some west, and many of the larger cities in Iowa pull their drinking water from rivers.

The Raccoon River is central Iowa’s main drinking water source.  The Des Moines River is used for the Des Moines metro area. Cedar Rapids pulls water from the Cedar River. Iowa City draws water from the Jordan Aquifer.

Both Des Moines and Cedar Rapids water go through a nitrate filtration system plus water blending from ground water. For Des Moines, the cost runs about $16,000 per day when the nitrate levels exceed 10mg/L. That’s the EPA’s top limit for safe drinking water. Above that, water is unsafe for kids and pregnant women to drink.

Instead of finding better ways of dealing with the nitrate run-off at all stages, our state government decided to depend on voluntary compliance of the rules and pulled out most of the nitrate testing site equipment. Yes, there are fines for egregious offenses, but that’s not a sufficient nor long-lasting solution.

I don’t want to see or hear of another cancer patient sick or dying due to nitrate pollution in Iowa’s water. We must stand up and get our legislators to stop standing by. All Iowans deserve much better. Let’s get on with some innovative problem-solving and work toward efficient, effective solutions.

Karen Carlton
Waukon