Gomers -- What's going wrong

DOG POOP POLLUTION: About 10,000 dogs in Cedar Rapids produce about two tons of waste every day, according to conservative estimates provided by the city's public works department. And when the canines' owners aren't diligent about properly disposing of the poop, it creates a messy, unhealthy scene. Coe College's annual water-quality testing program has found that when it rains an inch or less - rather typical of rainfall amounts during this summer's drought - the E. coli bacteria levels that indicate poop presence reach several times higher than levels that are safe for humans, not to mention for fish and wildlife.

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AGING WATER MAINS: The nation faces an almost “perfect storm” of water mains that are rapidly approaching the end of their expected life, according to a Gazette report published Aug. 12. While most Iowa cities are better off than the nation as a whole, the replacement problem nonetheless will be a costly challenge over the next decade and beyond - especially in many small, rural communities that have a declining population and thus fewer customers to pay the water fees that fund repairs and replacements.

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