Funding is needed to clean rivers

As of 2012, Iowa had 480 waterbodies with a total of 642 impairments, with another 340 waterbodies in need of further investigation.

Downstream, the hypoxia dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico has reached 5,000 square miles - the size of Connecticut. This dead zone is a consequence of nitrate, phosphorus and animal waste runoff from farm fields in Iowa and other agricultural states.

Despite these obvious problems, Gov. Terry Branstad vetoed $11.2 million in additional clean water funding that had received bipartisan support in the Iowa Legislature.

Without that funding, his clean water program provides less than 15 cents per acre of farm land in the state - not nearly enough to clean up our waters and meet Iowa's obligations downstream. Our Republican Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Northey, has committed to reducing nitrogen by 41 percent and phosphorus by 29 percent to reduce hypoxia, and was disappointed by Branstad's veto.

We need additional funding and updated rules to clean up our rivers and streams and protect the Gulf of Mexico. Please vote for candidates who support clean water.

Frank Olsen

Cedar Rapids