DES MOINES, Iowa — In just 10 days, Iowa lawmakers return to Des Moines and will gavel in for the 2026 legislative session. Many groups are already pushing legislators to address the state’s water quality issue.
“The overall trajectory, overall longer-term, is that we are seeing an increase in nitrate concentration and because of stream flow we’re seeing an increase in the nitrate loads leaving the state of Iowa,” Larry Weber the director of IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering at the University of Iowa said.
Iowa groups continue sounding the alarm and emphasized the need to improve Iowa’s water quality. They’re asking state lawmakers to reinvest $600,000 a year for roughly 60 water sensors across the state as they’re expected to go offline with funding expiring this July…