Water Quality

Nitrates, fecal bacteria, sediment and other pollutants in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers threaten safe drinking water for 20% of the state’s population. That's one of the findings from a sweeping study commissioned by Polk County supervisors.

Nitrate levels remain elevated in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, two of the drinking water sources for Central Iowa Water Works' 600,000 customers. The regional utility recently shared how it tests water and removes nitrates at one of its plants to meet federal drinking water standards.

The Des Moines area’s first-ever lawn watering ban helps Central Iowa Water Works keep up with nitrate removal to provide safe drinking water to 600,000 people. Over the next decade, CIWW aims to increase its treatment capacity by 25%.

Nitrate levels are still at dangerous levels in Des Moines’ rivers. To keep the area’s sources for drinking water from exceeding EPA standards, Central Iowa Water Works is continuing its ban on lawn watering, possibly for weeks.

There is not a shortage from water sources in the area, but treatment facilities are struggling to keep up with high levels of nitrate in the rivers that supply the system.

The city of Dubuque is reporting levels of pollutants known as PFAS in residents’ drinking water that exceed federal limits. Sometimes called “forever chemicals,” they only break down under intense heat and can cause adverse health effects. The city has earmarked nearly $15 million over the next five years to improve its water supply infrastructure.

A federal judge in Iowa ruled against a landholding company that sought to dismantle a long-standing wetlands law called swampbuster.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is awarding nearly $2.7 million in matching grants to 14 projects this year. One of the sites is Legacy Woods Nature Sanctuary, a new development in West Des Moines.

A federal hiring freeze and layoffs at the National Weather Service are impacting the accuracy of forecasts and long-range outlooks.

President Donald Trump has promised deregulation with hopes to promote industry and has already made cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency.