Hunter
12/06/24
The Environmental Protection Agency says two segments of the Iowa River should be added to the state’s impaired waters list, due to high levels of nitrate in the water.
The Daily Iowan reports the EPA’s decision was based on the Clean Water Act submission from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in June, which requires states to identify water sources that fail to meet state water quality standards and submit their list of findings to the EPA for approval or disapproval.
David Cwiertny is the director of the University of Iowa’s Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination. He says high levels of nitrate in waters that the state intends to use as a drinking water source can cause health problems, including how oxygen moves through the body. This is especially problematic in infants, and can cause what’s known as blue baby syndrome.
Cwiertny says there is no immediate threat to area residents, because both the city of Iowa City and the U of I, which uses water from the river, incorporates aquifiers and other procedures to dilute nitrates.