New EPA ruling jeopardizes clean water

This past week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a community petition calling for clean water regulations. Instead, the EPA is going to try to bury us in bureaucracy by convening an advisory subcommittee to study whether factory farms pollute water. The reality is that this water pollution is already at crisis levels, and impacting how Iowans live our day to day lives.

As a member of one of the organizations that petitioned the EPA, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), I’m infuriated that our federal leaders have caved to corporate pressure and ignored our community members’ voices. For years, residents across Iowa have demanded that the EPA issue Clean Water Act permits to hold factory farms accountable for pollution.

The lack of enforcement by the EPA has led to the decimation of our water ways. In the 1980s when raising three sons, we lived across the road from the beach. We swam there many summers with our kids, their friends, and their families. The boys fished often; they knew the park like the back of their hands. It was the best thing ever and they carry those memories with them.

Unfortunately, swimming there these days is not a safe option for my grandchildren. The beach at Lower Pine Lake has been on the Department of Natural Resources “Swimming not Recommended” list every single week since the beginning of testing this summer.

That’s because in Hardin County, population 16,924, has over 1 million hogs in confinement at any given time. These corporate-owned hogs produce nearly half a billion gallons of toxic liquid manure each year. This conservative estimate is the equivalent of waste generated by over 3 million people, which is nearly the population of the entire state of Iowa.

This liquid manure is then dumped untreated on farm fields surrounding my community. Sorry, but the EPA’s “cross your fingers and hope factory farms follow the rules” approach doesn’t cut it for me.

I am in this fight for my children, my grandchildren and two little great-grandchildren. I want to leave them with clean water, crowded beaches, and the ability to safely swim and kayak at Pine Lake. We cannot and will not stand down. Not until we see headlines that read “EPA gets serious about water quality.”

This doesn’t just impact my family. Iowa has over 750 polluted waterways across our state. It affects all Iowans, and we all pay for it one way or another.

Here's the thing. There’s a clear, common-sense solution to our current water crisis: the Clean Water Act permits that the EPA is denying us. These permits would hold factory farms accountable to rigorous operating standards and enforce substantial fines to give the regulation real teeth.

Our state leaders and the EPA have shirked their responsibility to protect citizens. But we aren’t taking no for an answer. No matter what the EPA says, we’re fighting harder than ever for a healthy future. Iowa’s families deserve a safe and healthy environment for the years to come.

You don’t need a degree or lots of money to play a critical role in the movement for clean water in Iowa. What you need is people, and lots of them. Working collectively toward a common goal is the only way we can turn the tide for clean water in Iowa. That’s why I encourage you to join an organization like Iowa CCI. Your story deserves to be heard, and you can add your voice to the fight. Remember they dump it, you drink it, but we won’t stop till they clean it up.

Julie Duhn is a member of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) and resides in Hardin County.