Tag: nitrogen
-
Environmental group: Iowa’s waterway cleanup plan could take 22,000 years
The nonprofit’s latest review of the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy – the backbone of Iowa’s water quality efforts – found the plan still isn’t working, in the council’s view. State leaders, including the agriculture secretary, insist the program is making progress.
-
10 Shocking Facts On Factory Farms Will Make You Rethink That Burger
Graphic by Hannah Williams In the United States, around 27 billion animals are raised for food every year. These animals are subjected to lives in extreme confinement where they live in fear and pain. The cruelty that these animals experience is rather well-known and understood, however, the negative environmental impact that raising this many animals…
-
Nitrates Before and After: This is what happened
Many people are curious about Iowa stream nitrate before modern agriculture became established across the landscape. They want to know what the “natural” level of nitrate was. It turns out we do have some actual data. In 1955, the Iowa Geological Survey published a document titled “Water-Supply Bulletin No. 5, Quality of Surface Waters of…
-
In the Heart of the Corn Belt, an Uphill Battle for Clean Water
Iowa State Senator David Johnson has led the fight to reduce agricultural pollution of the state’s waters. Casey Beck Runoff from farms and feedlots has badly polluted Iowa’s waterways, more than half of which do not meet federal quality standards. Now, an unlikely coalition is calling for stricter controls to clean up the drinking water…
-
On Water Problems, Governments Actually Work Together
Photo: Algae blooms are a frequent problem in Lake Erie. (AP) When it comes to dirty lakes and rivers, governments have learned how to cooperate. The greatest lubricant for intergovernmental harmony may well be water. I know that sounds odd, but the nation’s largest bays and lakes offer compelling examples of how multiple states can…
