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.
News from our journalists and contributors about Iowa water quality, trends, conservation, watershed, stream nitrate levels and investigative journalism from The Gazette.
Erin Jordan Environmental News Jun. 16, 2022 4:23 pm1303d ago
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.
Erin Jordan Environmental News Jun. 14, 2022 2:21 pm1305d ago
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 Government Jun. 10, 2022 12:43 pm1309d ago
State and federal officials called the funding from the federal infrastructure package ‘unprecedented’
By Jared Strong, - Iowa Capital Dispatch
News May. 26, 2022 3:17 pm1324d ago
Testing sites include Cedar Rapids metro area, Central City, Monticello, Decorah
State Government May. 26, 2022 6:00 am1324d ago
The Iowa Legislature wants to spend $1 million next year to revise the state’s long-standing nitrogen fertilizer calculator used in seven corn-growing states. Some water quality advocates fear the update will mean more fertilizer applied to fields and more runoff into streams and lakes, but two Iowa State professors welcome the opportunity for new research into the nitrogen question.
Agriculture May. 5, 2022 4:28 pm1345d ago
The Iowa Environmental Council wants to force the state's Environmental Protection Commission to adopt flood plain maps to comply with a law that says animal-feeding operations can’t be built near waterways.
Environmental News May. 2, 2022 6:00 am1348d ago
Tired of what they call “cropaganda,” three University of Iowa scientists created a podcast that provides an alternative voice on issues including water quality, agriculture and climate change.
Local Government Mar. 14, 2022 5:55 pm1397d ago
Recent testing by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources found “very low” levels of two types of industrial chemicals in Cedar Rapids’ public water supply, but the city reports that its water remains safe to drink.
By Jared Strong - Iowa Capital Dispatch
Environmental News Mar. 14, 2022 6:00 am1397d ago
Central City has concentrations of toxic chemicals in its drinking water that exceed safety thresholds in other states and that are the highest so far identified by a new Iowa surveillance program.
By Jared Strong - Iowa Capital Dispatch
News Mar. 6, 2022 10:31 am1405d ago
Iowa DNR records show the park draws water from a 140-feet-deep well that is highly susceptible to surface contamination because of the porous sediment in the area.
Community Mar. 2, 2022 6:00 am1409d ago
The city of Cedar Rapids, along with soil and water districts, is partnering with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to launch water quality practices projects.
Environmental News Jan. 14, 2022 8:58 am1456d ago
Trout Unlimited, a conservation group that works to protect rivers and streams, wants to join a Sierra Club lawsuit against the Iowa Department of Natural Resources over an 11,600-head cattle feedlot near Bloody Run Creek in northeast Iowa.
Environmental News Jan. 7, 2022 3:48 pm1463d ago
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The state of Iowa said Friday that it is suing Sioux City over what it says was the city’s manipulation of wastewater testing results and dangerous pollution of the Missouri River in a scheme that saw the wastewater plant’s former supervisor
Environmental News Dec. 8, 2021 2:15 pm1493d ago
Money from American Rescue Plan Act is on top of $110 million coming from federal infrastructure package for drinking water infrastructure.
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