Iowa water pollution

David G

Well-known Member
I was shocked driving across the state today seeing that the creeks are really becoming just waste water channels.

Here is a good article.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/conservationist/2013/05/iowa%E2%80%99s-water-problem-no-myth-it%E2%80%99s-warning
 
That may well be the most polluted thing I've read all day. Do you have any idea what the city is doing with the nitrates they remove from the water? They put it back. Enough said.
AaronSEIA
 
You mean you dont have any streams or rivers where you live. Where is the water supposed to go the ground can only hold so much.
 
There is a balance. Some farm every possible inch right up to the edge of a creek and some will leave a buffer. There are all kinds, usually the BTO will farm every square inch since they didn't get that big by being stupid or letting ground go to waste but there are exceptions to this reasoning too. If the nitrates are actually this high then it needs looked at, whether they are coming from peoples lawns or the fields.
 
David G, YOU could see the pollution from the car window, driving by. Could you see all those nitrites, nitrates, all that BOD, all that phosforus.NO YOU DID NOT!!! You may have been able to see turbitity. suspended solids. Thats not pollution, the streambeds are, imagine this, soil and clay, moving water does pick up this soil, always will. As far as the Field and Stream article being a good read, well it was slanted for the subscribers it serves. Next time you drive thru Iowa, keep your eyes on the road. gobble
 
David, you haven't been following Des Moines' water problems with upriver runoff? This has been coming for a very long time. Below is an editorial that pretty well explains the problem.

BTW, WF local here proved as incompetent as Bay City, Mich. I tried, have no idea how anybody could do business with them. I went with a smaller brokerage. There seems to be a lack of supervision at WF. Which you helped me with immensely. Again, thank you.
Des Moine Register
 
yup! And I hope the cities down stream sue Des Moines.

The nitrates were the highest in the fall.

What do decomposing leaves let off? Yup nitrates.

Gary
 

Fifteen years ago the largest lake in NH had a big algae bloom. It was finally traced to a big condo development where the landscape contractor put 3X the proper amount of fertilizer on, right down to the water to try to jump start it. Lawn service companies routinely apply fertilizer at rates many times what farmers do, and much of it runs off.
 
As farmer and county soil and water board member I can see both sides of the issue. Problem for agriculture is demographics are not on its side. 500000 Des Moines water works customers are going to take what side of this issue? Better get ready for more nutrient regulations. I personally wouldn't even think about expanding my livestock operation. A lot easier to not buy fertilizer than give manure to neighbors. Just my 2cents worth. Thanks
 
There should be a law outlawing BTO's. Probably don't pay their fair share either.
 
Lol. BTO's aren't bad or good, they're all different types. Sorry if my post came off as anti anything, I'm not against farming or farmers or clean water I just think that it should be looked into and once the facts are supposedly known then we know what steps should or should not be taken. Similar to how farming practices 75 years ago resulted in lots of runoff I'm sure practices today have consequences that are not all known or addressed.
 
(quoted from post at 19:45:20 03/26/15) yup! And I hope the cities down stream sue Des Moines.

The nitrates were the highest in the fall.

What do decomposing leaves let off? Yup nitrates.

Gary

That guy who is head of the Des Moines water works is nothing more than a big bully. He used to be head of the street department. Made too many enemies, so Des Moines moved him.
 
Instead of The city of Des Moines suing 3 counties in Iowa. Wouldn't they be better off spending the money to help fix the problem instead? Seems like a waste of money after the lawyers get done.
 
(quoted from post at 08:46:31 03/27/15) Instead of The city of Des Moines suing 3 counties in Iowa. Wouldn't they be better off spending the money to help fix the problem instead? Seems like a waste of money after the lawyers get done.

If the problem really is the farmers just how would the city of Des Moines spending money fix it unless they buy up the farmland and let it set idle? Not saying that farms are the problem but the city spending money to fix it wouldn't fix it. The only way to fix it is to determine where the nitrates are coming from and slow or stop the flow of the nitrates into the water.

I remember the rivers in NJ when I was a kid. Absolutely filthy! It took the EPA being formed (I don't much like the EPA) and regulations and fines to slow or stop dumping stuff into the rivers. They still are not perfect but a lot better than they were. There was one near a popular camping spot. By 1970 anyone who tried swimming in that water almost immediately developed a rash that covered their entire body. I don't want to see a river in that condition again.

Rick
 
And once they shut down all the upstream livestock farming they'll find that most of it came from outdated undersized sewer systems, like they did with the pig farms in central PA and the Chesapeake.
 

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