First in a series

DES MOINES - Iowa faced an embarrassing distinction in 2007: Its namesake, the Iowa River, joined a list as one of the most endangered waterways in the country, according to a national organization, American Rivers.

And the list of impaired waters in the state is growing as officials identify more bodies tainted by pollutants or affected by other factors that make them less than desirable as sources of drinking water, habitats for aquatic life or venues for recreational activities such as fishing and swimming.

The list has grown substantially in recent years to 279 impaired waterways in the most recent accounting submitted to federal officials. The increase, however, can be attributed in part to improved efforts by the state to collect data through monitoring procedures.

Data reveals Iowa's waterways are worse off than the public may know.

Rivers, lakes and streams are under increasing pressure from urban development and an agricultural sector driven by high corn and soybean prices to move more acres from conservation practices into production. Utilizing such marginal land can lead to greater erosion, meaning topsoil runs into waterways when it rains, reducing water quality.

The state's growing urban areas also contribute to the problem, as concrete replaces soil that normally absorbs rain.

Despite the growing number of impaired waters, some of the state's leading environmentalists see reason for optimism.

Some environmentalists believe state government and Iowa citizens finally realize the challenges and are taking action to make improvements, watershed by watershed.

"The good news here is that more people are aware, and more people are engaged in trying to address these issues. That's a huge plus," said Mark Ackelson, president of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

State lawmakers this year passed the Surface Water Protection Act, which focuses on improving watersheds. It sets up a 12-member council within the governor's office charged with preserving and protecting Iowa's water resources. The council is expected to make recommendations for improving water quality and develop a plan to educate Iowans about their responsibilities in maintaining clean water.

Susan Heathcote, water program director for the Iowa Environmental Council, acknowledges great progress on water quality in the last 10 years, when little monitoring was done. And she believes attention on water quality is greater than ever.

"It's filtering down to the average citizen and their knowledge that there are problems, and we need to do better," Heathcote said.

She is also encouraged to see more regular river cleanups organized by local groups across the state. While Heathcote notes frustration by some about the growing list of impaired waters, she argues the issue isn't all negative.

"People need to understand that that's a good thing because our information and knowledge has increased," she said.

Critics

Not all are complimentary of the state's efforts. Critics argue stricter regulations are the key to improving Iowa's waterways and that political leaders have been unwilling to take a hard line against industry, farmers and cities that contribute to the problem.

Steve Veysey, an officer in the Sierra Club's Iowa chapter and the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association, argues the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been slow to adopt and implement rules to improve water quality.

Veysey attributes the sluggishness to a lack of political will and said the DNR's approach to water quality regulations has been "deny, dodge and delay."

He wants to see stricter regulations for facilities and industry and thinks DNR officials have been overly permissive.

"We haven't turned that corner yet, not at all," Veysey said.

One of the biggest sticking points for Iowa environmentalists is the length of time it has taken the DNR to adopt "anti-degradation" rules meant to maintain current water quality.

Veysey argues anti-degradation rules should set a high hurdle for companies or facilities that want to discharge additional wastewater.

"These are supposed to be the real muscle in the Clean Water Act. We're wimping out," Veysey said.

Rosie Partridge of rural Wall Lake thinks the DNR has done what it is required to do, but not more.

Patridge is a member of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, which pushes for stronger environmental laws. She owns land along the Raccoon River in Sac County enrolled in a conservation program.

She and her husband have lobbied state legislators for what she believes are common-sense rules on manure and the expansion of livestock confinements operations.

"There's already too much manure going on the ground up here that is ending up in our rivers," Partridge said.

Growing awareness

Efforts to improve Iowa's waterways haven't come without a fight. In past years, the Iowa Environmental Council and other groups threatened to sue the state, arguing Iowa was out of compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.

When Gov. Chet Culver was elected in 2006, he tapped the council's former director, Rich Leopold, to lead the state's natural resources department.

Leopold points out how far the state has come in reducing pollution in its waterways over the years.

"It used to be chemicals and petrochemicals and raw sewage and blood from packing plants and all these things. That doesn't happen any more, so we've come a long way," Leopold said.

But he isn't satisfied with things being better than they were in the past. He stresses the need to improve the quality of rivers and streams for recreation and aquatic life.

With new water quality standards in place, Leopold expects the number of waterways on the impaired list to double or triple.

"It doesn't mean the water is any dirtier, it means the standards by which we measure that water have differed," he said.

Leopold also considers some Iowa waters impaired even if they are not on the official list submitted to federal officials. Those waters have a cleanup plan in place but no money to implement or enforce the measures, he said.

"If we haven't done the work and the water is still the same, then it's on my list," Leopold said.

He believes not enough has been done to mitigate the environmental impact agriculture has on water quality. He cites a need for more conservation practices, such as stream buffers, if more land is used for crop production.

Leopold is also looking ahead at regulations that affect cities. The department is in the process of implementing anti-degradation rules, which could mean cities without adequate wastewater treatment plants and "unsewered" communities have to spend money on upgrades.

Leopold said some of the initial estimates on how much that will cost are exaggerated and that the department is looking at compliance schedules that stretch out 10, 15 or 20 years so local officials have time to plan.

"We'd like it if, everybody would like it, if we could just click our fingers and it would all go away, but we know that this is going to be a long-term fix. We need to be environmentally responsible, also economically attentive to what's going on in those cities," Leopold said.

Future

Heathcote, of the Iowa Environmental Council, said one of the disturbing trends is the increase in nitrate levels in many of Iowa's rivers, despite rising awareness and efforts to work with farmers.

One of the biggest sources of nitrogen and phosphorous in Iowa rivers is agricultural.

"We have very little change that we have been seeing in the way we manage our farmland in Iowa," Heathcote said.

Unless steps are taken to mitigate the impact, the nitrogen and phosphorous pollution that comes with soil erosion will continue to increase, Heathcote said.

"That's not a good trend, and I see nothing being done right now to counter it," Heathcote said.

Buffer strips of grasses along waterways help prevent soil erosion and runoff from fields getting into rivers and streams.

Rick Robinson, an environmental policy adviser with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, said farmers are interested in targeting their conservation efforts and thinks farmers are more aware of how they affect water quality. He cites a study showing farm conservation practices are having an impact on reducing nitrate, nitrogen and phosphorous that otherwise would be present in Iowa waters.

"I think if you ask most farmers, they're going to tell you that they're doing the things they can do," Robinson said.

Charlotte Eby can be reached at 515-243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.