Environmental News

Williamson Dilg pushed for Upper Mississippi wildlife refuge

Native plants are valued by gardeners because native wildlife have relied on those plants for centuries. But which plants are the most beneficial for butterflies, bees and other insects, and how can you tell if a plant is truly native?

The Linn County Public Health Department has been expanding its systems for monitoring and reporting on air quality across the county, including adding an additional location for its portable air quality monitors.

If Summit’s proposed CO2 pipeline is approved, the water used by ethanol plants on and off the route would be equal to the annual water use of 529,000 people -- more than the population of the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City corridor, according to a new Sierra Club report.

REGEN Fiber, owned by Alliant Energy subsidiary Travero, hosted a grand opening Wednesday to explain the process for recycling decomissioned wind turbine blades. The plant, which cost more than $10 million and employs eight people, is expected to start processing materials next week.

The refuge, cradled in the Driftless Area and bordered by steep wooded bluffs, includes nearly 250,000 acres of floodplain forests, braided river channels, marshes and prairie that provides habitat to more than 300 bird species.

With water-guzzling data centers popping up across Iowa and a multi-year drought causing more farmers to use irrigation systems, Iowa’s underground aquifers are being tapped more frequently. The Iowa Legislature allocated $250,000 this year for a study of Iowa’s aquifers to make sure they don’t run dry with increased use.

After water main breaks in April 2023 and January sent chlorinated water into McLoud Run, killing at least 2,000 fish in the urban stream, the city is now considering installing a pressure monitoring system to underground water lines to more quickly identify and stop leaks and breaks.