Dirty water is an injustice

When Iowa’s public water systems have reported dangerous nitrate levels in drinking water, an Iowa State University study contends low-income communities, the elderly and people of color have been disproportionately affected by pollution over the past 20 years.

That’s the conclusion drawn from numbers crunched by Padmore Mantey, an ISU graduate student, who researched which demographic groups, including marginalized and disadvantaged populations.

Mantey found just more that 7% of Iowans have been impacted by heightened nitrate levels, at 5 millimeters per liter or more. He found that one-in-10 low-income communities, in Black Hawk, Cass, Audubon, Crawford and Jasper counties were exposed to heightened nitrates. In each of the counties, 9% to 10% of residents over age 65, people of color and children under five were exposed.

Nitrate pollution in Iowa comes largely from farming operations.

The Gazette’s Erin Jordan reports that countries in east central and northeast Iowa showed the most pronounced disparities, with more than a third of people of color, nearly one-third of low-income residents and 26% of children and elderly people were subjected to heightened nitrate levels.

Mantey’s research has yet to be peer reviewed.

But just focusing on this subject is what passes for politically incorrect in Iowa. In 2021, former University of Iowa water quality researcher Chris Jones wrote a piece on his blog pointing to Ottumwa as a place where low-income Latino and Black residents are disproportionately affected by pollution, and a city that lacks the resources to improve drinking water treatment. Republican state Rep. Chad Ingels sent an email to Jones’ superiors decrying the piece.

So this is the sort of research farm allies in the Legislature and large agricultural interest groups don’t like to hear. Not only does agricultural pollution kill fish and contributed to closed beaches, but it’s also hurting Iowans in the interest of profits.

It’s tough to be optimistic that the Legislature will do anything meaningful to address Iowa’s dirty water. But lawmakers should act. Putting the interests of agriculture above the health of Iowans is irresponsible and unacceptable.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com