I haven’t had time to look into the details, but the Des Moines Register ran this article on a bill which would deal with water quality. House Study Bill 615 has co-sponsors from both parties and calls for the following things, according to the Register:
Experts would study 11 regional watersheds per year and identify each area’s most pressing needs. Watersheds that present the greatest health risks would be prioritized, and the worst areas would get any available money from the state Department of Natural Resources. A Water Resources Coordinating Council would be established within the governor’s office to coordinate regulatory efforts, help Iowans organize local watershed projects and help them get money more easily for water quality projects. A marketing campaign would alert Iowans about the need to take personal responsibility for the water in their area.
Here’s a link to the text of House Study Bill 615, for those of you who want to read the whole thing.
1 Comment
This is not what we need.
More bureaucracy is not the answer. Sure, it’d be nice to know who’s at fault in specific watersheds, but do we really need research to determine it?
Here’s a crash course on water pollutants:
Pig shit: Bad.
Runoff from overfertilization: Bad.
Pollution from wastewater treatment plants: Bad.
From the Register:
Until now, too much finger-pointing between various interests has bogged down work to improve water conditions in Iowa, said State Sen. David Johnson, a Republican from Ocheyedan who served on the watershed task force. “Farmers point fingers at city wastewater treatment plants and vice versa,” he said. “We’ve been stuck.”
Here’s a hint: YOU’RE BOTH CONTRIBUTING. Unfortunately, our legislators don’t have the backbone to do something about either problem. So we’ll appoint a $13.5 million task force to foster the finger-pointing.
klsnow Wed 6 Feb 10:53 AM