Rep. John Forbes: Iowa water quality bill is watered down

The House along a mostly party line vote passed a watered-down Iowa water quality bill — an effort that even a member of the majority party said showed a lack of leadership and integrity.

Iowa’s water quality problem is well documented. Des Moines, Urbandale and other communities battle to provide safe drinking water to their residents. Half of our waterways are impaired. Iowa is the second largest contributor to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The legislative response to this billion dollar problem isn’t even a half a loaf. It’s more like crumbs from a Joni Ernst bread bag.

I was a “no” vote. The bill, Senate File 512, generates about $27 million annually for 12 years for undesignated water projects. The bill does not require any statewide monitoring of water pollution and the law has no benchmarks for water quality improvement goals. Iowa watersheds — like Walnut Creek in my district — are ignored. No new money is appropriated, even though Iowa voters in 2010 voted to create a trust fund for water quality and other environmental initiatives.

For seven years, the Legislature has ignored the will of the […]

Full article: Forbes: Water quality bill is watered down

More about the water in Iowa:

In the Heart of the Corn Belt, an Uphill Battle for Clean Water

Iowa’s water quality problems: What you need to know

Iowa environmentalists scored a victory for water quality as 2017 ended

Lawsuit Dismissal Spells Bad News for Iowa Water Quality

Editorial: Iowa’s filthy waterways are a disgrace