Central Iowa has high nitrate levels in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. Its water services are struggling to convince residents that their water is still fine to drink.
On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down the Central Iowa Water Works debacle and the growing trust crisis between officials and concerned residents.
Toss some bags about Iowa rolling back civil rights protections for trans Iowans… Trump heads to the Iowa fairgrounds… and a conversation with Democrat Christina Bohannan.
Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.
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*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 – Central Iowa Water Crisis – Nitrate Levels Above EPA Safety Limits
01:00 – Home Test Strip Controversy – Residents Testing Their Own Water Safety
02:30 – Big Ag Regulation Reluctance – Political Element of Water Safety
03:00 – Voluntary Compliance Failures – Why Self-Regulation Isn’t Working
05:00 – Mounting System Distrust – Root Problem vs. Individual Blame
06:30 – Industrial Ag Efficiency vs. Environmental Impact
07:30 – Unprofitable Crop Prices – Go Bigger Strategy to Minimize Losses
08:00 – Ethanol Aviation Fuel Dreams – Agriculture’s “Second Coming” Promises
09:30 – Responsible Pivot Planning – Emergency Prevention vs. Reactive Crisis
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