Attorneys for three environmental groups are urging Iowa officials to adopt tougher water quality standards.
The federal Clean Water Act requires states to hold a public hearing about water quality regulations every three years and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources hosted one this morning. Iowa Environmental Council legal counsel Mike Schmidt said a decade ago federal officials recommended that states monitor water for 94 toxins that could impact human health and “it’s shocking” Iowa standards still call for monitoring just 50.
“Iowa has the second highest cancer rate in the country — one of the only states with a rising cancer rate,” Schmidt said, “and we are concerned that water quality plays a role in that.”…