Iowa Taxpayers Continue Paying to Clean Up Factory Farm Pollution in Raccoon River

Iowa Citizens forCommunity Improvement highlights importance of clean water lawsuit 

Des Moines, IA - Thispast weekend, a failed manure tank valve from a hog factory farm inBuena Vista County released an unknown amount of manure whichresulted in dead fish, manure, and elevated ammonia levels throughout fourmiles of a tributary of the North Raccoon River.

“Timeand time again factory farms are allowed to build too close to major watersources like the Raccoon River. Pair that with zero accountability for manurespills like this one and it’s a recipe for disaster. We need stronger laws andregulations to mitigate this issue, otherwise it will be people downstream thatkeep paying the price to clean up the mess,” said Linda Luhring, member of IowaCCI from Calhoun county, just south of the maure spill.

Sofar this year, 9 factory farms have discharged liquid manure and raw feces, 4of which reached Iowa’s 767 already impaired waterways. In the last 5 years,over 100 manure spills have polluted Iowa’s waterways. This doesn’t take intoconsideration the over 22 billion gallons of liquid manure from Iowa’s over10,000 factory farms that is dumped untreated every year onto fields across thestate resulting in double, and sometimes triple, the amount of nitratesbeing applied to farm fields.

IowaCitizens for Community Improvement and Food & Water Watch filed a cleanwater lawsuit against the State of Iowa early last year after failures by theLegislature and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to take Iowa’s water pollutioncrisis seriously.  The groups’ lawsuit alleges that the state has violatedits obligation under the Public Trust Doctrine to protect the Raccoon River forthe use and benefit of all Iowans by failing to limit the pollution running offindustrial agriculture operations into the state’s waterways. 

“TheRaccoon River runs through one of the most intensely farmed areas in the UnitedStates. If the state’s failed nutrient reduction strategy remains voluntary andwe continue allowing the factory farm industry to expand, Iowa’s water crisisisn’t going to improve. Manure spills that have polluted our waters, like thisone, are why we are suing the state,” said Adam Mason, State Policy Director atIowa CCI. “We know that our water isn’t going to clean itself up, which is whywe need mandatory and measurable strategies to ensure the future of our wateris safe - for us and every generation after us. 

Background: 

TheRaccoon River is the source of drinking water for some 500,000 Iowans. Des Moines Water Works, the largest water utility in Iowa, has one of thelargest and most expensive nitrate removal systems in the world. The utility’sstruggle to provide safe drinking water to Des Moines metro residents wasdocumented in its 2015 lawsuit against upstream counties alleging that theirfailure to regulate tile drains led to excessive amounts of dangerous nitratesin the utility’s Raccoon River source water.

Abill to establish a moratorium on new and expanded factory farms was introducedin the Iowa Senate and House of Representatives during the 2019-2020Legislative Sessions. Despite growing concern from citizens and an increasingnumber of legislative sponsors, leadership in the Iowa General Assembly refusedto allow the bill to even be debated in subcommittee.

Thelawsuit is a response to Iowa’s failed leadership,which has allowed the agribusiness industry to degrade Iowa’s waterways,leaving citizens with the burden of pollution and the cost of cleanupefforts.  The suit seeks actionable, mandatory solutions that will restorethe Racoon River and make it safe for people to recreate in and for those whorely on it for drinking water.The case is currently pending an interlocutory appeal granted bythe Iowa Supreme Court. The appeal will likely be heard by the Iowa SupremeCourt coming up in the fall of 2020.