The Iowa River is a reliable fixture in the Iowa City community and divides the University of Iowa’s campus into two unique segments. The river is a tributary of the Mississippi River and an essential part of Iowa’s ecosystem. 

Despite the river’s historical significance, many Iowa residents are concerned about its stench, sludgy nature, and poor water visibility. These concerns largely stem from water quality issues in Iowa, which have been greatly impacted by local industries and inadequate water management. 

I recognize the need to generate revenue, as well as the abundance of resources required to rehabilitate a large waterway. However, if we as a community wish to improve the Iowa River and Iowa’s water quality as a whole, we must first address the plethora of issues affecting the state’s water supply. This action is necessary to benefit our local environment and the health of all citizens.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, as of 2024 at least 721 bodies of water in Iowa do not meet water quality standards for recreational use, public water supplies, and aquatic life protection. Although the Iowa River is not on this list, it is classified as a Category 4 stream by the Iowa DNR, indicating the second-highest level of impairments for an individual water segment. 

Earlier this year, it was reported that 52 percent of Iowa’s assessed river and stream segments and 63 percent of the state’s lakes and reservoirs are impaired, meaning the water is too polluted for its intended uses, such as drinking, recreation, fishing, and supporting aquatic life.

The river has undergone several treatment plans, but it is not a high priority to the DNR due to the “total maximum of daily loads,” or TMDL, it has received for analyzing and attempting to curb pollution. The Category 4 designation primarily stems from the rampant identification of bacteria, specifically E. coli, in the river. 

Many pollutants slip into Iowa’s waterways through groundwater supplies contaminated by over 109 billion annual pounds of manure produced by the state’s factory farms. 

Given that Iowa has more than 3.45 million cattle and 24.6 million pigs, the presence of pollutants is, unfortunately, not surprising. 

With such a large number of animals, an exorbitant amount of waste is expected. However, the chemicals and bacteria produced from this manure have completely altered Iowa’s natural waterways, contributing to a massive decline in water quality. 

Martin St. Clair, a research scientist at the University of Iowa and hydroscience and engineer staffer, when referencing a 2022 USDA report, agreed with this assessment and claimed the animal waste runoff was most likely to blame.   

Regarding new ways in which to address the issue, the Iowa Environmental Council, better known as the IEC, has been very active when attempting to chronicle and display different natural drainage and filtration processes to try and curb the mingling of toxic pollutants and public streams. 

In 2023, the Iowa Senate and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 558, a budgetary bill for agriculture and water quality. This bill diverted upwards of half a million dollars away from the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, which funds water quality research and pollution monitoring. 

According to UI professor and researcher Silvia Secchi, via Iowa Public Radio, the reallocated funds typically support “the water sensor network managed by UI.” Without this funding, the state wouldn’t be able to determine if its Nutrient Reduction Strategy is actually reducing pollution.

These sensors help monitor and alert officials of polluted waterways, including reservoirs and rivers like the Iowa River that contribute to the state’s drinking water supply. Without this support, Iowa rivers will see an uptick in pollutants and a lack of identification, which in turn will make the problem even worse. 

When asked about the reasoning for the shift in funding, Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-Iowa, who voted in favor of the bill, said, “We’ve got a ton of monitors out there already, so…like I said, the goal was to concentrate on projects.”

The bill claims that the funding for water research isn’t being cut but rather shifting to other organizations like the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. 

However, in reality, the budget change further illustrates the Iowa state government’s endorsement of ignorance regarding Iowa’s water quality issues. It also reveals the price many lawmakers are, or more accurately are not, willing to pay in order to provide healthy living conditions for all their residents. This sentiment is also shared within the Iowa City community, as the Iowa River has been affected by the budget reallocation as well.

As previously alluded to, Iowa City’s drinking water is taken directly from the Iowa River. According to city officials, “source water is pumped from the alluvial aquifer (Iowa River through the sandy riverbed) to an aeration tank,” before being treated and distributed to residents. 

Regardless of the plant’s intricate filtration process, the river’s water quality makes it costly and time-consuming to treat the bacteria. Pulling already polluted water out of the Iowa River, instead of ground water like much of the state, is not only detrimental to residents’ health but also to their city’s bank account. 

I, like many in the state, understand the need for farmers to make a profit and the challenges of managing chemicals and bacteria like those in manure that seep into Iowa’s waterways. However, addressing this water quality issue should be a top priority for the state government, especially given the links between high cancer rates in Iowa and nitrate exposure from agricultural runoff. 

As a student, while I don’t interact with the river daily, I prefer not to live next to a water source contaminated with E. coli and other harmful contaminants, nor do I love the idea that most of the water I drink on a daily basis has been linked to annually killing thousands of Iowa residents. 

Despite the notion that these effects are consequential to Iowa’s historic roots in farming and agriculture, ensuring safe drinking water for Iowans, both in Iowa City and beyond, should be a guaranteed priority now and for future generations.