Environmental News

The city of Cedar Rapids has published its annual water quality report for 2021, which provides a comprehensive look at the past year’s drinking water quality. The city’s finished water had no violations.

The marina recently was fined $5,000 for the infraction but was granted an “after-the-fact permit” to approve the excavation.

The redemption businesses that remain are worried about a sudden influx of containers, similar to what they experienced after the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. Some fear it will sour Iowans’ attitudes about recycling the containers.

The Nature Call: I found plenty of evidence of a black bear on a recent visit to a Dubuque bird feeder.

“This is a strong statement from the EPA that these are a dangerous class of chemicals,” said David Cwiertny, director of the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination at the University of Iowa.

The city has done regular water tests at the lake, called Sand Lake, in previous summers, but this is the first time there has been a no swim advisory due to high levels of E. coli bacteria, said Tyler Baird, superintendent of Parks & Forestry.

LaPorte City has agreed to pay a $7,000 fine for discharging too much E. coli bacteria in treated wastewater going into Wolf Creek, a Cedar River tributary.

State and federal officials called the funding from the federal infrastructure package ‘unprecedented’