You turn on the tap and expect clean water to come out, but that comes with a cost you might not realize. It takes a confluence of federal, state and local dollars to keep water flowing to a faucet near you.

A plan to make whitewater trails on the rivers in downtown Des Moines is about more than tourism. Supporters of the project say they also have water quality in mind.

Recent studies have found elevated levels of nitrate in drinking water correlates with health issues like cancer and thyroid disease — even below what current federal standards deem as safe. But health research necessary to take federal action is slow-going, and some environmental health experts are concerned officials aren’t acting fast enough.

The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy launched a decade ago, intended to reduce nutrients flowing into rivers and lakes. A bulk of those cuts fall on farmers.

The Nutrient Reduction Strategy lies at the center of Iowa’s efforts to improve water quality. But how is it working 10 years after it was adopted?