Food & Water Watch sues EPA over nitrate records

EPA accused of hiding nitrate assessment as Iowa water group demands FOIA records

COMING UP ON KCCI EIGHT NEWS CLOSE UP. WATER QUALITY IN IOWA TAKES CENTER STAGE FROM HIGH NITRATE LEVELS AFFECTING OUR DRINKING WATER SOURCES AND FUELING A LAWN WATERING BAN. FOR THE SECOND SUMMER IN A ROW TO A NEW STATEWIDE EFFORT TO EXPAND WATER AND AIR MONITORING. WE’RE DIGGING IN TO THE CHALLENGES AHEAD. PLUS, WE HEAR FROM AN EXPERT ON RUNOFF RESEARCH AND IOWA’S NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGY. YOU’RE WATCHING KCCI EIGHT NEWS CLOSE UP. GOOD MORNING. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US FOR KCCI EIGHT NEWS CLOSE UP. I’M CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER AMANDA ROOKER. THIS SUMMER’S LAWN WATERING BAN HAS PUT WATER QUALITY CONCERNS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT. KCCI CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER SUZANNE BENKE TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT IOWA’S NITRATE PROBLEMS AND THE IMPACT THAT IT’S HAVING ON IOWA’S DRINKING WATER SOURCES. FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR, NITRATES HAVE BURDENED IOWA’S WATERWAYS MORE THAN USUAL. NITRATES ARE POLLUTANTS REGULATED BY THE EPA. THEY WERE LINKED FIRST TO BLUE BABY SYNDROME, BUT LATER RESEARCH HAS SHOWN A CONNECTION TO CANCER. NITRATES LARGELY COME FROM UPSTREAM FERTILIZER AND MANURE RUNOFF. IN AN UNUSUAL MOVE THIS YEAR, CENTRAL IOWA WATERWORKS HAD TO RUN THE NITRATE REMOVAL FACILITY IN WINTER MONTHS. THE FACILITY HAD ABOUT A WEEK OFF IN MARCH AND THEN STARTED CHUGGING AWAY AGAIN, AND IT HASN’T STOPPED SINCE. THOSE HIGH NITRATE LEVELS LED TO LOCAL WATER AUTHORITIES WARNING IN EARLY MAY THAT A LAWN WATERING BAN WAS LIKELY THIS SUMMER FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR. CUSTOMERS WERE ASKED TO VOLUNTARILY CUT OUTDOOR WATER USE IN HALF ON MAY 27TH, AND THEN FINALLY A WATERING BAN BEGAN ON JUNE 8TH. DUE TO THAT, INCREASED WATER DEMAND AND HIGH NITRATES. I’M JOINED NOW BY DOCTOR MATT HELM DIRECTS THE IOWA NUTRIENT RESEARCH CENTER THAT IS A PART OF THE STATE AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT’S WORK TO REDUCE POLLUTION IN IOWA’S RIVERS AND STREAMS. FOLKS OUT THERE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT ALL OF THIS. SO WE’LL START KIND OF AT THE BEGINNING. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE STATE’S SITUATION WITH NITRATE POLLUTION? YEAH. AS WE’RE SEEING IN THE DES MOINES AREA, WE DEFINITELY HAVE HIGH NITRATE THIS YEAR. WE HAD IT LAST YEAR. THIS IS NOT COMPLETELY UNUSUAL, BUT WE’VE DEFINITELY SEEN IT REALLY HIGH IN ALL OF 2026. IT’S REALLY STRESSED. CENTRAL IOWA WATER WORKS IN DES MOINES WATER WORKS, WHICH IS WHY THE LAWN WATERING BAN HAS GONE INTO PLACE TO TRY TO REDUCE THE THE DEMAND SO THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE SAFE DRINKING WATER TO THE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS IN THE DES MOINES METRO AREA. I KNOW SUZANNE KIND OF EXPLAINED IT A LITTLE BIT IN HER PACKAGE, BUT TO THE AVERAGE PERSON, THEY MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT THESE NITRATES AND WHAT THEY ARE LAST, YOU KNOW, SUMMER. HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN IT IN REALLY SIMPLE TERMS ABOUT WHAT NITRATES ARE AND WHY TOO HIGH LEVELS ARE AN ISSUE? YEAH. SO SO THERE IS, AS WAS MENTIONED, THERE IS A DRINKING WATER STANDARD FOR NITRATE OF 10MG/L OF NITRATE AS NITROGEN. THAT’S TO IS PRIMARILY PUT IN PLACE FOR BLUE BABY SYNDROME TO PROTECT BABIES AND INGESTING NITRATE THAT COULD REDUCE OXYGEN LEVELS IN THEIR IN THEIR BLOOD. WE CERTAINLY HAVE THESE HIGH NITRATE PROBLEMS KIND OF FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL. WE’LL TALK ABOUT AND, AND KIND OF IN THE, IN PERIODS WHEN WE GET HEAVY RAINFALL, WE GET A LOT OF WATER MOVEMENT THROUGH OUR SOIL SYSTEM, TAKING NITRATE DOWN TO DOWNSTREAM WATER BODIES, WHETHER THAT BE RIVERS LIKE THE RACCOON OR DES MOINES OR OTHER RIVERS IN THE STATE OF IOWA. YEAH. LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE REASONS. FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON WHO MAY NOT UNDERSTAND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE OR AGRICULTURE, YOU KNOW, HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN WHY WE’RE SEEING HIGH NITRATE LEVELS IN THESE WATER SOURCES? YEAH, I THINK THERE’S A VARIETY OF REASONS WHY WE’RE SEEING SUCH HIGH LEVELS IN KIND OF 2025 AND 2026. FIRST OFF, WE HAD A NUMBER OF DRY YEARS IN A ROW. AND SO, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR CROP PRODUCTION, WE DIDN’T HAVE MUCH NITRATE LEACHING OUT OF THOSE SYSTEMS. AND SO THEN WHEN WE GOT THE RAINFALL, THERE WAS A LOT OF NITRATE LEFT IN OUR SYSTEM. SO JUST LIKE A GARDEN SOMEBODY MIGHT HAVE OR PLANTS, WE FERTILIZE CROPS, PARTICULARLY CORN. AND WHEN WE HAVE NITRATE IN THAT SYSTEM AND WE GET PRECIPITATION, IT’S GOING TO TAKE SOME OF THAT NITRATE OUT. IT WAS JUST KIND OF SITTING IN THERE. AND THEN THE WATER CAME AND FLUSHED IT. THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT. AND AND, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE THINGS WITH THAT IS WE HAVE A BIG ORGANIC NITROGEN POOL WITHIN OUR SOILS. JUST SOME OF THE BEST SOILS IN THE WORLD THAT WE HAVE IN IOWA. THING. BUT FROM A NITRATE STANDPOINT, WE GET THIS ORGANIC NITROGEN THAT WHEN THE SOILS GET WARM AND MOIST, KIND OF LIKE WE’VE HAD IN A LOT OF 2026, WE CONVERT A PORTION OF THAT INTO THE NITRATE FORM, AND THEN IT’S SUSCEPTIBLE TO LOSS. IF WE DON’T HAVE SOMETHING GROWING OUT THERE. YOU ADD INTO THAT THE FERTILIZER AND LIVESTOCK MANURE THAT’S BEEN ADDS TO THAT, THAT PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE. SO ONE OF THE THINGS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING GROWING ON THE LANDSCAPE A GREATER PERCENTAGE OF THE YEAR, AND THAT CAN HELP US REALLY REDUCE SOME OF THAT NITRATE THAT’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’S KIND OF SLOWLY BEEN MOVING WITH BASE FLOW INTO THE STREAMS AS WELL. SO NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE THAT TILE DRAINAGE THAT ENDS UP BEING HIGH NITRATE, WE HAVE SOME OF THAT, THAT SLOWER MOVING WATER FLOW TO GET TO THE STREAM THAT WAS HIGH NITRATE. AFTER THOSE DRY YEARS. YOU GIVE ME A QUICK DEFINITION OF TILE DRAINAGE. YEAH. THAT’S A GREAT THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION. WHAT’S TILE DRAINAGE. SO THIS IS ANOTHER HISTORY. BUT BACK IN THE EARLY 1900S, IN THE DES MOINES LOBE OF IOWA RACCOON AND DES MOINES RIVER BASIN, YOU KNOW, THAT AREA WAS REALLY WET. SWAMPS AND WETLANDS. SO THE THE SETTLERS CAME IN AND THEY THEY DUG DITCHES AND THEN TO TAKE SOME OF THE EXCESS WATER OUT. AND WE’VE, YOU KNOW, EXPANDED THAT TILE DRAINAGE NETWORK SINCE THEN CERTAINLY MADE IOWA THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCER THAT IT IS. BUT IT IS A MECHANISM THAT TRANSPORTS THAT NITRATE IN, IN THOSE LANDSCAPES TO DOWNSTREAM WATER BODIES. SO IT CAN THINK OF IT AS AN UNDERGROUND NETWORK OF PIPES FOR THOSE THAT MIGHT BE WATCHING. YOU CAN THINK OF IT IF YOU GO TO YOUR HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE, THE BLACK PIPE, THE CIRCULAR BLACK PIPE THAT YOU SEE HAS LITTLE SLITS OR HOLES IN IT THAT TAKES THAT WATER IN. SO IT’S THAT THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE BELOW, BELOW GROUND IN A LOT OF IOWA AND CERTAINLY IN THE DES MOINES LOBE OF IOWA. NOW, YOUR WORK AT THE IOWA NUTRIENT RESEARCH CENTER REALLY FOCUSES ON NUTRIENTS, INCLUDING NITRATES. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT CENTER AND THE WORK, THE RESEARCH THAT YOU’RE SEEING RIGHT NOW. YEAH, THIS WAS A CENTER THAT WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE LEGISLATURE IN 2013. AND OUR MISSION IS TO PURSUE RESEARCH ON NUTRIENT REDUCTION PRACTICES. WHAT PRACTICES CAN WORK? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY’RE PERFORMING AS WELL AS THEY CAN? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE KIND OF HOW THEY’RE IMPLEMENTED? AND THEN LOOKING AT BARRIERS TO OVERCOME ADOPTION AS WELL? SO WE KIND OF HAVE A SUITE OF PROJECTS THAT WE FUND EVERY YEAR THAT ARE LOOKING AT A VARIETY OF NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGY PRACTICES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED PRIMARILY IN THE AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE. SO AS YOU LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, THE QUESTIONS ARE, YOU KNOW, ARE THINGS WORKING AND WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS THAT ARE STANDING IN THE WAY? YEAH, I THINK THAT WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF, OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES THAT CAN REDUCE NUTRIENT LOSS, BUT WE REALLY HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE SCALE OF CHANGE THAT WE NEED. AND SO IF WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF ACRES LEADING INTO THE, THE DES MOINES RIVER AND THE RACCOON RIVER. SO WE’RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN COVER CROPS. WE’RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN SOME OF THESE EDGE OF FIELD PRACTICES, SATURATED BUFFERS, BIOREACTORS, MAYBE MY FAVORITE WETLANDS, BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF BENEFITS. BUT WE’RE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO DO MORE OF THAT, A LOT MORE OF THAT TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, HELP WITH IMPROVING THAT, THAT NITRATE LEVELS IN, IN A LOT OF OUR STREAMS FOR, TO HELP PEOPLE KIND OF CONCEPTUALIZE HOW MUCH MORE WOULD NEED TO BE DONE, WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO REALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE WHEN IT COMES TO CLEAN WATER? YEAH, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE IOWA NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGY HAD A GOAL OF A 45% REDUCTION STATEWIDE AND ATTRIBUTE ABOUT NEEDING A 41% REDUCTION FROM NON-POINT SOURCES OR PRIMARILY AGRICULTURE. AND AS WE LOOK AT THAT, IT’S ALMOST ALL OF THE ACRES. YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, COVER CROPS ON, YOU KNOW, MAYBE 60% OF OUR LAND AND TREATING WET, HAVING WETLANDS TREAT MAYBE 7 MILLION ACRES OF LAND AND BIOREACTORS AND SATURATED BUFFERS, ABOUT 6 MILLION ACRES. SO, YOU KNOW, THAT’S A THAT’S A REALLY BIG AMOUNT OF THOSE PRACTICES. YOU KNOW, THERE’S, THERE’S A NEED FOR A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO DO THAT, BOTH FROM A STANDPOINT OF, YOU KNOW, RESOURCES, FINANCIAL RESOURCES, BUT ALSO THE HUMAN RESOURCES TO PUT THAT IN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TO DESIGN THESE PRACTICES, HELP FARMERS GET THEM IMPLEMENTED, CITE THEM, YOU KNOW, GET THEM THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. SO THERE’S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE IN THIS SPACE. AND, AND WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE TREATING MILLIONS OF ACRES ON THE LANDSCAPE. WE HAVE 23 MILLION ACRES OF OF ANNUAL ROW CROPS IN IOWA. YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE TREATING THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WITH SOME OF THESE PRACTICES. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE. OUR CONVERSATION WILL CONTINUE RIGHT AFTER THIS BREAK. STAY WITH US. WE’RE BACK WITH IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY’S DOCTOR MATT HELMERS, BRINGING US SOME EXPERTISE ON THE WATER QUALITY CONCERNS THAT MANY VIEWERS HAVE, ESPECIALLY AS WE THINK ABOUT THE BACK TO BACK LAWN WATERING BANS THIS SUMMER. LAST SUMMER, WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IOWA’S NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGY. BUT I KNOW A LOT OF IOWANS HAVE ASKED THE QUESTION AS THEY’RE HEARING ABOUT THE NITRATES AND THE HIGH NITRATE LEVELS IN DRINKING WATER SOURCES. HOW DOES THIS COMPARE TO, YOU KNOW, HISTORY IN IOWA? ARE THERE MORE NITRATES RIGHT NOW IN OUR SOIL THAN THAN NORMAL? YEAH, THAT’S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. AND, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE THINGS TO THAT. I LOOK AT WHEN WHEN THAT QUESTION COMES UP. ONE IS DES MOINES WATER WORKS HAS A GREAT DATA SET DATING BACK INTO THE 70S FOR ALMOST DAILY NITRATE SAMPLES THAT IN THE RACCOON RIVER AND EVEN BACK IN THE 70S, WE SAW NITRATE ABOVE THAT DRINKING WATER STANDARD OF 10MG/L. BUT WE’VE SEEN, I THINK, AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DAYS THAT THAT WERE ABOVE THAT 10MG/L. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE CAN WE CAN LOOK AT THEN IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT’S THE STATEWIDE LOAD. AND FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS, AND IF WE LOOK AT THE NITRATE LOAD KIND OF PER INCH OF WATER FLOW, SO THAT WE TAKE OUT THAT VARIABLE OF HOW MUCH WATER WE HAVE, IT’S PRETTY STABLE OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS. BUT ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE’VE SEEN SOME HIGHER PRECIPITATION YEARS. AND IN THOSE YEARS, WE SEE A GREATER NITRATE LOAD. AND THEN ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS THAT WE’VE SEEN MORE SPRING PRECIPITATION. AND WHEN WE SEE MORE SPRING PRECIPITATION, THAT LEADS TO GREATER NITRATE NITRATE CONCENTRATIONS AND LOADS, BECAUSE THAT’S REALLY WHEN OUR ANNUAL CROPPING SYSTEM IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO NITRATE LOSS, WE DON’T HAVE MUCH GROWING THERE. WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TAKING UP THAT NITRATE THAT’S IN THE SOIL SYSTEM. AND SO IF WE GET THOSE EXCESS PRECIPITATION EVENTS, THOSE WELL, I WON’T SAY BIG RAINFALL EVENTS, THAT’D BE SOMETHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT BECAUSE ACTUALLY. YEAH, BECAUSE ONE THING. SO WHEN WE GET THOSE PRECIPITATION EVENTS, WE LEACH THAT NITRATE OUT OF THE SYSTEM. IF WE DON’T HAVE SOMETHING GROWING OUT THERE. SO THAT’S WHY SOMETHING LIKE COVER CROPS CAN BE SO EFFECTIVE TO REDUCE THAT. I WANT TO MAKE ONE COMMENT ABOUT WHEN I SAID BIG RAINFALL EVENTS, BECAUSE FOLKS COULD GO AND LOOK AT SOME OF THE CONTINUOUS NITRATE SENSOR DATA FROM THE USGS OR THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA. AND WHAT YOU’LL SEE IS WHEN WE GET THESE REALLY BIG RAINFALL EVENTS WITH A LOT OF SURFACE RUNOFF, THAT NITRATE CONCENTRATION GOES DOWN. SO WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THE PATHWAY THAT MOST OF THE NITRATE GETS TO. THE STREAM IS NOT IN DIRECT SURFACE RUNOFF, BUT RATHER IN WATER THAT’S MOVING BELOW THE SURFACE, AS WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, WITH THAT TILE DRAINAGE OR IN IN SUBSURFACE FLOW. SO I THINK THAT’S IMPORTANT. A LOT OF TIMES I HEAR NITRATE RUNOFF, BUT REALLY THAT RUNOFF WATER CAN. THE DIRECT SURFACE RUNOFF CAN BE LOW IN NITRATE, BUT THAT NITRATE IS PRIMARILY MOVING BELOW GROUND, UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE, UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE. EXACTLY. HAVE YOU LOOKED AT ALL ABOUT HOW IOWA COMPARES TO OTHER STATES? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE’RE A BIG STATE, BUT THERE ARE OTHER BIG AG STATES AROUND US. ARE THEY DEALING WITH SIMILAR ISSUES LIKE THIS? THEY THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY DEALING WITH SIMILAR ISSUES OF THE NUTRIENT REDUCTION STRATEGIES OR THE NUTRIENT LOSS REDUCTION STRATEGIES. SO ALL THE STATES MINNESOTA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, ALL A LOT OF ANNUAL CROP, ALL A LOT OF TILE DRAINAGE IN THOSE STATES. THEY’RE DEALING WITH HAVING TO REDUCE NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS AS WELL, DEALING WITH THE HYPOXIA ACTION PLAN GOALS. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS IN IOWA IS THAT WE HAVE SUCH A HIGH INTENSITY OF OF ROW CROP PRODUCTION, ESPECIALLY AS WE LOOK AT THE DES MOINES AND RACCOON RIVER BASINS, THE GREATER DES MOINES WATERSHED. AND SO THAT MAKES THAT PROBLEM EVEN WORSE FROM A FROM A DRINKING WATER STANDPOINT FOR, FOR DES MOINES. BUT YEAH, OTHER STATES ARE, ARE DEALING WITH SIMILAR ISSUES AND REALLY PURSUING SIMILAR PRACTICES THAT WE ARE IN IOWA, AT LEAST THE UPPER MIDWEST, UPPER MIDWEST, OR UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN STATES. ARE THERE ANY STATES THAT YOU CAN LOOK TO AS AN EXAMPLE FOR WAYS THAT I. OR THINGS THAT IOWA COULD EMULATE? YEAH, I THINK THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION. I REALLY THINK A LOT OF THEM ARE ARE PRETTY SIMILAR IN WHAT THEY’RE DOING. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, MINNESOTA’S ONE THAT’S DONE A FEW THINGS WITH A BUFFER NEXT TO THE STREAM. BUT ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THERE IS THAT IF THAT TILE DRAINAGE IS GOING RIGHT THROUGH THE BUFFER, WE AREN’T GETTING NITRATE REDUCTION THERE. SO THAT’S, THAT’S A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE, BUT I’D SAY ALL OF THEM ARE PURSUING KIND OF SIMILAR PRACTICES OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT, COVER CROPS, EDGE OF FIELD PRACTICES, AND THEN THINKING OUR ABOUT OUR CROP ROTATIONS AND MAYBE WHAT WE CAN DO IN SOME OF THOSE, THOSE AREAS AS WELL. WHAT IS THE CENTER HEARING FROM IOWA FARMERS AND AG STAKEHOLDERS? YEAH, I THINK THEY’RE THEY’RE PEOPLE ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR WHAT CAN WE DO? YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THOSE SOLUTIONS? AND MAYBE WHAT ARE THOSE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE ECONOMICAL FOR THEM? YOU KNOW, AS WE THINK ABOUT COVER CROPS, THEY CAN WORK REALLY WELL. THEY CAN REDUCE NITRATE, BUT THAT LANDOWNER OR, OR THAT FARMER. BUT THERE ARE SOME CASES WHERE MAYBE THEY HAVE LIVESTOCK AND THEY CAN GRAZE THAT. AND SO THERE CAN BE AN ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO THAT. AND SO SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME PRODUCERS MAY BE ASKING WHAT’S, YOU KNOW, WHAT’S THE BENEFIT OF THAT COVER CROP FOR FORAGE? IS THERE A COMPACTION PROBLEM WITH WITH GRAZING? YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT IS KIND OF EXCITING THAT’S GOING ON, AND CERTAINLY WE’VE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT, IS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE LOOK AT PASTURE LAND AS WELL? SO THERE’S AN IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND LAND STEWARDSHIP HAS A CATTLE AND CONSERVATION PROGRAM WHERE THEY’RE LOOKING AT MAYBE THERE’S LAND THAT’S NOT QUITE AS PROFITABLE FOR ROW CROP. CAN WE PUT THAT BACK INTO PASTURE? AND THAT CAN HELP US REDUCE THAT NITRATE LEACHING, REDUCE THAT SURFACE RUNOFF. SO I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, FARMERS ARE ASKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE BIOREACTORS. IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE WE CAN USE IN BIOREACTORS OTHER THAN WOOD CHIPS. THAT’S WHAT’S PRIMARILY BEEN USED. SO A COLLEAGUE AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, DOCTOR MICHELLE SHAPIRO, IS LOOKING AT CORN COBS IN THERE. THAT MIGHT BE A MORE READILY AVAILABLE CARBON SOURCE TO TO PUT IN THESE WOOD CHIPS, THESE TRENCHES FILLED WITH A CARBON MEDIA TO PROMOTE DENITRIFICATION. AND SO THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT LOWER COST CARBON SOURCE, MAYBE MORE READILY AVAILABLE. I KNOW YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THAT PASTURE KIND OF AREA, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, IOWA’S AG INDUSTRY RELIES ON CORN AND SOYBEAN ROW CROP PRODUCTION, BUT ARE THERE OTHER CROPS THAT COULD BE PLANTED OR ROTATED IN, AND WOULD THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? YEAH. SO WE’RE LOOKING A LITTLE BIT AT WINTER CEREAL RYE AS AN EXAMPLE. WE HAVE A PROJECT WITH IOWA LEARNING FARMS, IOWA SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION AND NORTH NORTHEAST RESEARCH C AND D LOOKING AT RELAY INTERCROPPING, WHERE WE’RE TRYING TO GET THREE CASH CROPS OFF IN A TWO YEAR PERIOD. AND SO WE’RE GROWING WINTER CEREAL RYE, WE’RE PLANTING SOYBEANS INTO THAT AND THEN HARVESTING THE THE RYE GRAIN AND THEN THE SOYBEANS AFTER THAT. MOST OF THAT RYE IS NOW BEING USED FOR COVER CROP SEEDS IN THOSE CASES. BUT THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT I THINK THERE ARE SOME POTENTIAL SMALL GRAINS, BUT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD BE THE MARKETS FOR FOR THOSE PRODUCTS AS WELL? THERE MAY BE LOCALIZED MARKETS FOR FORAGE FOR SMALL GRAINS, BUT, YOU KNOW, PRIMARILY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF CORN AND SOYBEANS. WE HAVE A LOT OF MARKETS FOR THOSE. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS OUT THERE. SO WE APPRECIATE YOU HELPING GET THOSE ANSWERED. YEAH. THANKS FOR THE TIME. ABSOLUTELY. WELL, COMING UP, A NEW STATEWIDE EFFORT LAUNCHING IN JUST A FEW DAYS WILL TRACK FAR MORE THAN JUST NITRATE POLLUTION IN IOWA. WE’LL HEAR FROM RESEARCHERS LEADING THE PROJECT AND HOW EXPANDED WATER AND AIR MONITORING COULD SHAPE PUBLIC HEALTH FOR YEARS TO COME. WELCOME BACK. NITRATE POLLUTION IS NOT THE ONLY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE THAT RESEARCHERS ARE WATCHING IN IOWA. STARTING ON JULY 1ST, A NEW STATEWIDE MONITORING EFFORT WILL TRACK A WIDE RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN OUR STATE THAT INCLUDES NEW WATER TESTING AND MONITORING, AIR QUALITY, KCCI CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER SUZANNE BANKI, SPOKE WITH TWO PROFESSORS WHO ARE LEADING THE PROJECT. MONITORS LIKE THESE ARE SCATTERED ACROSS IOWA’S RIVERS. THESE TOOLS GIVE REAL TIME UPDATES ON LEVELS OF THE CONTAMINANT NITRATE IN SOME OF THOSE IOWA WATERWAYS. BUT A NEW EFFORT CALLED IOWA INSIGHT OFFICIALLY BEGINS JULY 1ST WITH A GOAL OF HELPING COMBAT SOME OF IOWA’S MOST PRESSING PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES. IT GOES WELL BEYOND THOSE MONITORS, AND IT TOOK SEED YEARS AGO. WE’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THESE ISSUES, YOU KNOW, FOR, YOU KNOW, TEN, 15 YEARS. THAT’S LARRY WEBER, THE DIRECTOR OF THE I. ARCHER HYDRO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA. HE’S ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE NEW MONITORING SYSTEM, IOWA INSIGHT. I THINK IT’S A GREAT MARRIAGE OF TWO ESTABLISHED CENTERS IN A TIME OF NEED, WHEN THE STATE NEEDS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS. HIS PARTNER IS DAVID, ALSO A UNIVERSITY OF IOWA PROFESSOR AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR HEALTH EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION. TWO KEY FACTORS DRIVE INSIGHT IOWA’S HIGH RANKING IN NEW CASES OF CANCER AND HAVING SOME OF THE MOST POLLUTED WATERWAYS IN THE COUNTRY. INSIGHT STANDS FOR IOWA INFORMATION AND GEOSPATIAL HEALTH. TRACKING THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES WE HAVE IN IOWA ARE FAIRLY COMPLEX, AND THEY VARY DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE IN THE STATE, AND THERE’S REALLY JUST A NEED TO EXPAND THE TYPE OF MONITORING THAT WE DO. SO WE CAN GENERATE RELIABLE DATA AND EVIDENCE TO HELP COMMUNITIES UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY HAVE VULNERABILITIES THAT MIGHT IMPACT THEIR HEALTH. THE PROBLEMS ARE MUCH BIGGER THERE’S OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED TO STAY VIGILANT FOR IN THE ENVIRONMENT. FOR INSTANCE, THE WATER TESTING WILL CHECK FOR NITRATES AND FOREVER CHEMICALS, ALSO KNOWN AS PFAS FOR PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES. BUT IT WILL ALSO CHECK FOR SOME NATURALLY OCCURRING SUBSTANCES SUCH AS ARSENIC, URANIUM AND RADIUM. THESE ARE REGULATED BY THE EPA, AND THEY CAN INCREASE CANCER RISK. UNDERPINNING THIS EFFORT IS THE RESEARCHERS GOALS TO HELP IOWA. I THINK WE HOPE THAT THE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FIRST AND FOREMOST TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, BUT WE’RE COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING WE GENERATE IS IN TERMS OF DATA OR DATA THAT WE GATHER IS ACCESSIBLE, UNDERSTANDABLE, AND THAT IOWANS CAN UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF WHAT WE’RE FINDING ON THEM. THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH TOPICS CAME UP IN NEWS AND POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS DECADES AGO. SO WHY IOWA INSIGHT NOW? I’VE BEEN AT THIS FOR, YOU KNOW, 30 YEARS OR SO AND, YOU KNOW, SEE THAT OUR WATER QUALITY AND OUR AIR QUALITY CONTINUE TO DEGRADE. AND SO I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, THAT AS SCIENTISTS THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE SKILLS THAT WE DO, IT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SERVE THE STATE OF IOWA IN DOING THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. AND WEBER WANT TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION TO DECISION MAKERS AS WELL. I THINK WE HOPE THAT FOLKS THAT ARE IN POSITIONS TO MAKE DECISIONS ON THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF THE STATE WILL LEARN FROM THE DATA AND THE EVIDENCE THAT WE’RE PROVIDING TO HOPEFULLY MAKE SURE THAT IN TEN, 20 YEARS FROM NOW, WE’RE NOT ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY WE HAVE SOME OF THE HEALTH BURDENS THAT WE DO. AND SO ALL OF US, AS IOWANS, HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE SURFACE WATER IN OUR STATE AND THE AIR THAT WE BREATHE, BECAUSE ALL OF US GET A COMMON BENEFIT FROM THOSE. IOWA INSIGHT GOT A BOOST WITH A $5 MILLION GIFT TO ESTABLISH THE PROGRAM THAT CAME FROM THE KYLE AND SHARON KRAUS FOUNDATION. SHARON KRAUS SAYS THE GIFT IS TO MOVE IOWA FORWARD AND THAT THERE’S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. I WANT TO SEE PREVENTION VERSUS MITIGATION. SO MUCH OF THE WORK AND THE INVESTMENT THAT’S BEING MADE TODAY IS IN MITIGATION, MITIGATING THE ISSUES THAT WE’RE FACING. LET’S NOT HAVE TO INVEST IN PEDIATRIC CANCER TREATMENT. LET’S INVEST IN NOT HAVING THE CANCER OCCUR IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND SO THAT’S REALLY WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. IOWA INSIGHT IS PRIVATELY FUNDED THROUGH GIFTS AND DONATIONS. WE’VE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THE EFFORT ANNOUNCED IN MAY BY REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS AND GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS. THEY COMMITTED $319 MILLION IN STATE FUNDS FOR WATER QUALITY FOCUSED PROJECTS THAT WILL GO OVER THE NEXT 12 YEARS. SUZANNE. THANK YOU. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THIS BREAK. STAY WITH US. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. HAVE A GRE

By Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch

The environmental group Food & Water Watch is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to supply requested information about a nitrate assessment.Food & Water Watch allege the “apparently scuttled” assessment would have provided EPA with the research necessary to update drinking water standards for nitrate and nitrite. The group alleges the current standards are “far too lax” to protect against the health threats — like an increased risk of certain cancers, thyroid disease and birth defects — that some research holds are linked to nitrate and nitrite exposure in drinking water at levels below the EPA standards. Per the complaint, Food & Water Watch submitted a request in August 2025 under the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, for information on the status of an EPA assessment of the human health impacts of the oral consumption of nitrate and nitrite. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., alleges EPA has not made a determination in the request, released any documents or provided a timeline to commit to the request. The assessment plan for nitrate and nitrate was initiated in 2017 under EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System, or IRIS. The assessment was suspended in 2019, during the first Trump administration, then resumed in 2023 during the Biden administration. The webpage for the assessment has not been updated since a November 2023 docket entry. EPA announced in July 2025, however, that it was eliminating its Office of Research and Development, which housed IRIS. Food & Water Watch Senior Staff Attorney Tyler Lobdell said the FOIA request would “shed light” on whether or not the agency has “abandoned the assessment.” “The American people deserve an EPA that protects them from pervasive, dangerous pollutants like nitrate in their drinking water,” Lobdell said in a statement. “Instead, the Trump administration appears hell bent not only on throwing public health under the bus, but on doing it behind closed doors.” EPA did not respond to a request for comment on the petition or the status of the IRIS nitrate analysis. The FOIA request from Food & Water Watch asked for records pertaining to the status and plans of the analysis, documents about reconsidering maximum nitrate contamination levels, correspondence between EPA offices regarding nitrate or nitrite toxicity in drinking water and records detailing how the closure of the Office of Research and Development have affected or may affect nitrate drinking water work. The filing from Food & Water Watch shows the group had correspondence with EPA since the initial request and through early June. In April, the agency said it would have an interim release of records on May 8, 2026, according to the court filing. Food & Water Watch allege the agency has not produced the records nor produced a new timeline for interim releases. The group asks the court to find that EPA is in violation of the Freedom of Information Act and order EPA to release the requested, nonexempt information. Food & Water Watch was also one of more than 80 groups that wrote to EPA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urging the departments to “immediately identify and eliminate sources of nitrate pollution in drinking water.” The letter referenced a report from the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement and Iowa Environmental Council that linked environmental exposure to nitrate, among other contaminants, to Iowa’s rising cancer rates. Food & Water Watch has also sued EPA for removing segments of Iowa rivers with high nitrate concentrations from the state’s impaired water list. Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

The environmental group Food & Water Watch is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to supply requested information about a nitrate assessment.

Food & Water Watch allege the “apparently scuttled” assessment would have provided EPA with the research necessary to update drinking water standards for nitrate and nitrite.

The group alleges the current standards are “far too lax” to protect against the health threats — like an increased risk of certain cancers, thyroid disease and birth defects — that some research holds are linked to nitrate and nitrite exposure in drinking water at levels below the EPA standards.

Per the complaint, Food & Water Watch submitted a request in August 2025 under the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, for information on the status of an EPA assessment of the human health impacts of the oral consumption of nitrate and nitrite.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., alleges EPA has not made a determination in the request, released any documents or provided a timeline to commit to the request.

The assessment plan for nitrate and nitrate was initiated in 2017 under EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System, or IRIS. The assessment was suspended in 2019, during the first Trump administration, then resumed in 2023 during the Biden administration.

The webpage for the assessment has not been updated since a November 2023 docket entry. EPA announced in July 2025, however, that it was eliminating its Office of Research and Development, which housed IRIS.

Food & Water Watch Senior Staff Attorney Tyler Lobdell said the FOIA request would “shed light” on whether or not the agency has “abandoned the assessment.”

“The American people deserve an EPA that protects them from pervasive, dangerous pollutants like nitrate in their drinking water,” Lobdell said in a statement. “Instead, the Trump administration appears hell bent not only on throwing public health under the bus, but on doing it behind closed doors.”

EPA did not respond to a request for comment on the petition or the status of the IRIS nitrate analysis.

The FOIA request from Food & Water Watch asked for records pertaining to the status and plans of the analysis, documents about reconsidering maximum nitrate contamination levels, correspondence between EPA offices regarding nitrate or nitrite toxicity in drinking water and records detailing how the closure of the Office of Research and Development have affected or may affect nitrate drinking water work.

The filing from Food & Water Watch shows the group had correspondence with EPA since the initial request and through early June. In April, the agency said it would have an interim release of records on May 8, 2026, according to the court filing. Food & Water Watch allege the agency has not produced the records nor produced a new timeline for interim releases.

The group asks the court to find that EPA is in violation of the Freedom of Information Act and order EPA to release the requested, nonexempt information.

Food & Water Watch was also one of more than 80 groups that wrote to EPA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urging the departments to “immediately identify and eliminate sources of nitrate pollution in drinking water.” The letter referenced a report from the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement and Iowa Environmental Council that linked environmental exposure to nitrate, among other contaminants, to Iowa’s rising cancer rates.

Food & Water Watch has also sued EPA for removing segments of Iowa rivers with high nitrate concentrations from the state’s impaired water list.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.