The environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch has announced a 20-point "clean water blueprint" it says would help protect Iowa's waterways from toxic levels of nitrate and phosphorous pollution. Manure from large-scale agriculture operations routinely pollutes ground and surface water nearby.
The Iowa Farm Bureau has released a statement claiming that the state's waterways are becoming cleaner, despite evidence that nitrates and phosphates are higher than ever.
New data from the National Library of Medicine show nitrates in Iowa's waterways reached toxic levels earlier than scientists first thought.
We sent out 100 nitrate tests to Iowans across the state, who found levels that exceeded safety guidelines. Experts say these levels may increase cancer risk.
Iowa journalist and author Art Cullen penned a book about the state’s issues with water pollution. He’ll be promoting it at the Iowa City Book Festival in October.
