Democrats in the Iowa House of Representatives proposed a water quality plan Thursday that calls for more financial assistance and incentives for farmers to adopt practices that reduce water pollution.
Rep. Austin Baeth, D-Des Moines, who's an internal medicine physician, said water pollution is contributing to Iowa’s high cancer rates.
“I am tired of diagnosing my patients with cancer, and I am tired of worrying whether I am harming my children every time I fill their cup from the tap,” he said.
The plan would triple annual funding — from $10 million to $30 million — for the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, which helps farmers install wetlands, buffer strips and other water quality practices. It would establish a new income tax credit and a property tax credit for farmers who use water quality improvement strategies.
The bill would restore state funding for sensors that monitor water quality and create a new zero-interest loan program for farmers to purchase equipment that improves water quality.
House Democrats are not proposing new water quality regulations.
Baeth said while there is more that could be done to improve water quality, House Democrats’ plan is meant to bring everyone together to work on solutions.
“This is our starting point to try to have everybody meet in the middle in a bold and unified response,” he said. “Because right now, the status quo has been folks putting their head in the sand and ignoring the problem.”
Last summer, Central Iowa Water Works banned lawn watering in the Des Moines metro when nitrate levels got so high the utility was concerned it wouldn’t be able to keep drinking water nitrate levels below the federal safety limit.
A report commissioned by Polk County found that 80% of the nitrate in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers comes from agricultural land. And the two rivers are in the top 1% for nitrate concentrations in the country. Nitrates have been linked to a potential increased risk of colorectal cancer and other health problems.
Rep. Kenan Judge, D-Waukee, said it’s not a good time for new water quality regulations when farmers are facing significant economic pressures.
“We know Iowans want healthy water. We know farmers want to take care of the land and take care of the water,” he said. “Our approach, in both parties over the past, has been more finger pointing. We welcome that input from them, and if they have better ideas, we should incorporate some.”
The Republican leaders of the Iowa Legislature have not shown interest in working on water quality this year.
Before Democrats announced their plan, House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said it’s not fair to assume that nothing is being done to improve water quality. He also said agriculture shouldn’t be blamed.
“We have to do a better job, not only those of us in agriculture, but in the Legislature that have led on these issues of telling the actual story of what we’ve done,” Grassley said.
While the state has funded water quality practices, Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy did not make a big difference in the state’s water quality in its first 10 years.
Rep. Mary Madison, D-West Des Moines, said she is confident House Democrats’ proposal will make a real difference.
“When we invest in cleaning up our water, we invest in healthier lives, not just for ourselves, but for that of our children, and our children’s children,” she said. “We reduce health risk, we support farmers with proven solutions and we protect our rivers and lakes for the next generation.”
