DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) - Representatives from Des Moines Water Works stated on Thursday that a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding water quality "did not match" the "operational and financial" difficulties the utility has encountered in delivering safe drinking water to residents of Iowa.
The EPA had previously identified seven sections of a river, including two linked to the source waters of Des Moines, as polluted areas because of elevated levels of nitrates. The agencyrescinded the decisionin July, after facing opposition from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources regarding the decision.
Amy Kahler, the CEO and general manager of Des Moines Water Works, stated in a press release that elevated nitrate levels in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers are making it "increasingly challenging to treat the source water."
"The Des Moines and Raccoon rivers need to have water quality plans in place to ensure they remain reliable sources of drinking water for future generations," Kahler stated in the release.
State agencies must evaluate surface water quality biennially and create a list ofimpaired water segments. These areas have found contaminants that go beyond EPA guidelines and have been assigned water restoration plans to decrease the pollutants.
EPA rejected partto add the seven additional segments in November. The agencyfinalized the decisionIn January, after a public comment period, DNR officials responded to the ruling, stating in a letter that nitrate was not included in the list of toxic pollutants under the Clean Water Act and that the EPA failed to provide justification for its decision.
This summer, Des Moines Water Works, along with its regional affiliate, Central Iowa Water Works, prohibited lawn irrigation for approximately a month and a half to ensure that nitrate concentrations in the treated water remained under acceptable drinking water limits.
The Des Moines Water Works has been operating its nitrate removal system, which is projected to cost approximately $16,000 daily, for over 110 days during this summer.
Central Iowa Water Works is set to undertake multiple expansion initiatives, one of which is at the depicted Saylorville Water Treatment Plant. These upgrades aim to boost total capacity and the ability to handle nitrates. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
"The damage to the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers endangers our mission and capacity to provide safe drinking water for the region's 600,000 central Iowans," Kahler stated.
According to the EPA's Region 7letterSent to the DNR in July, the DNR provided further details to the federal agency in May explaining why the state did not designate the seven segments identified by the EPA.
The EPA stated in the letter that it had reviewed various standards from the DNR's assessment and would therefore revoke the prior designation for the seven segments in order to "further examine this reasoning" and reassess the decision.
Andrea Boulton, who leads the Des Moines Water Works Board of Trustees, stated, "human health and safety are our primary concern."
We must not overlook this despite differing opinions on technical terminology," Boulton stated in the release. "There is clearly an issue in the state of Iowa where water quality problems hinder our drinking water utilities from producing clean, safe water for Iowans.
The utility's release also mentioned arecent study, commissioned by Polk County, that examined water quality problems in the rivers. It stated the report "confirmed what Des Moines Water Works has been saying for years – nitrate levels in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers are rising."
Des Moines Water Works is not the only organizationconcerned about water quality. Citizen organizations and environmental groups, including the Iowa Environmental Council, have also expressed strong opposition to the EPA's decision.
Colleen Fowle, who leads the water initiative at the Iowa Environmental Council, stated that this summer "offered a clear view of the effects of elevated nitrate levels in our sources of drinking water."
Iowans throughout the state have expressed worry about nitrate levels in drinking water from all the rivers that the EPA has chosen to take off the impaired waters list," Fowle stated in a release. "Each of these rivers has consistently surpassed the drinking water standard, although not every city depending on them has the necessary treatment facilities to eliminate nitrate.
The remaining river sections were located along the Cedar River, Iowa River, and South Skunk River.
Fowle stated that the DNR's assessment of the impairments focused on a "short-term" measure, instead of long-term data.
Considering just a few years doesn't make sense for pollutants that can vary annually due to streamflow," Fowle stated. "Long-term data indicate that safe drinking water is in danger. This is exactly what the water quality standard aims to prevent, which is why these waters should be classified as impaired.
Michael Schmidt, the General Counsel of the Iowa Environmental Council, referred to the rescission as "unprecedented" and "misguided."
"We urge the EPA and DNR to initiate a transparent process and unite Iowans in tackling nitrate issues that jeopardize the health and economic stability of residents throughout Iowa, instead of making decisions in secret," Schmidt stated.
DNR chose not to respond to the decision.