Chronicle Editorial

By: 
Chronicle Staff

More urgency needed to improve Iowa's polluted waters

 

     Despite recent financial pledges from agriculture organizations and other groups, more effort is needed to reverse pollution and improve water quality in Iowa's lakes, rivers and streams.

     A new joint effort called the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) was launched last week aimed at speeding up the rate and scope of statewide water quality improvement initiatives. IAWA is backed by Iowa corn, soybean and pork producers, and will contribute $600,000 annually to promote better farming practices that reduce detrimental impacts on water sources and the environment. If successful, the new alliance is hoping its financial investment will help fend off intrusive government regulation aimed at improving water quality in the future.

     The announcement comes following recent worries over the waning quality of water here in Iowa. Agriculture runoff from fields and animal confinement operations have polluted the state's water for years, but Iowa's farming sector has attempted to remedy the problem over the past decade. Programs like the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy are hoped to cut agriculture-related pollution in half while other environmentally friendly farming practices have been promoted by ag experts and researchers at Iowa State University. Our state's water pollution problem isn't a dirty little secret anymore, and efforts to address the issue have been steps in the right direction.

     Marked improvement isn't going to happen over night. These sorts of things take time, and it might be a few years before we see noticeable improvement in statewide water quality. However, it's clear more efforts like IAWA are needed if farmers and agribusinesses wish to remain relatively unregulated in the near future. Polluted drinking water poses a threat to human welfare and economic success, and the state Legislature's hand could be forced if water quality doesn't show promising signs of improvement. This past summer alone, water sources in Des Moines were threatened by a potential algae bloom that could have sickened thousands of residents. The crisis was averted, but the incident could be a precursor for things to come if we don't keep hammering pollution reduction strategies.

     Numerous tactics have been employed in recent years that give hope to future pollution reduction. Some farmers have begun using things like cover crops to minimize runoff from fields and lower the amount of unwanted nutrients in our water. Planting cover crops, which grow after corn and soybeans are harvested, also helps improve the overall quality of soil and reduces erosion-related problems that contribute to water pollution. Of course, it also improves the farmer's bottom line by boosting yields and reducing the need to apply extra fertilizer. The method seems like a win-win for farmers and hopefully continues to gain popularity throughout the state.

                The blame game is easy to play and accusing Iowa's farmers of being the sole cause of the state's water pollution woes is unfair. However, it's clear the agriculture industry contributes to the problem. Reducing nutrient runoff and soil erosion is key to future improvement, and it seems farmers realize that and are willing to help. Some environmental groups claim the state needs to implement regulations aimed at cutting ag-related pollution, but the industry is already heading in the right direction. More initiatives like the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and IAWA can help guide farmers towards practices that reduce water pollution problems while simultaneously improving the soil and benefitting their 

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