A call for a better soil discussion in Cedar Rapids

Scott Overland followed the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission's handling of the four-inch topsoil rule and thinks Cedar Rapids could do a whole lot better.

Overland is vice president of investments at Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust. He's also declared his candidacy for City Council in District 2, which covers a long, broad swath of the east side from Bever Avenue on the south end to north of Boyson Road. It's a seat being vacated by Monica Vernon as she seeks the Democratic nomination in the 1st Congressional District.

Overland didn't like the process state officials used to scrap the rule, which required builders to replace at least four inches of topsoil on finished lots. Last month, the EPC voted to replace that rule with one directing topsoil replacement 'unless infeasible.” Builders decide what's infeasible. The new rule was crafted in a 'stakeholder” group packed with homebuilding interests that met behind closed doors.

Overland says the city of Cedar Rapids now has the opportunity to create a much broader, balanced and transparent stakeholder group to consider the city's own rules regarding topsoil and stormwater. Department of Natural Resources officials say cities have the authority to enact stormwater rules that are more aggressive than state regulations. So the EPC's lousy call leaves the door open for cities to step in and protect topsoil.

'I don't think it has to be anything that's threatening to one particular group. But we can at least talk about it,” Overland said. 'I think it will become a larger issue as time goes by.”

Overland, who has served on the city's Planning Commission since 2006, including about four years as its chairman, says he's not calling for a tough new regulation. But he believes a discussion of potential new rules and practices is warranted, considering the critical importance soil conservation plays in reducing runoff and its consequences for flooding and reduced water quality. He rejects the contention from some building interests that the up-front cost of restoring soil is the end of the conversation.

'The way I think we ought to be looking at it is by not having topsoil, what is it going to cost all of us, including the homeowner, the next 60, 70, 90 years on that property?” Overland said. 'The state EPC, just looking at the end result, I think is shortsighted.”

Overland would like to see a stakeholder group with many interests represented, with members such as Rich Patterson, the former Indian Creek Nature Center director and an expert on what it takes to reduce runoff. Developers would have seats at the table, among with homeowners who live with misguided building practices.

I hope Overland's proposal puts these kind of environmental concerns on the agenda as the City Council campaign takes shape. We all have a dog in the fight over handling water, and although the spotlight has been on farmers, urban runoff matters.

A city with Cedar Rapids' watery history should be leading the way on these issues. We've seen steps in the right direction, including the city's watershed efforts upstream. Here's to hoping for leaders who want to do even more.