Real progress in Iowa’s water quality demands truth, not alarmism. Solutions must be rooted in accurate data and built through collaboration — from farm fields to city streets. 

Contrary to claims at recent water quality events around the state, citing a Polk County report to suggest that pollution in Iowa’s rivers has “nearly doubled” over the past 50 years, the facts tell a different story. 

The same Central Iowa Source Water Resource Assessment (CISWRA) report referenced actually states a “… general decline in both nitrogen and phosphorus at many locations within the watersheds. These findings suggest that nutrient management strategies implemented over the past two decades have likely contributed to reducing levels” in the Des Moines River (CISWRA, p. 27). 

The report also shows that there’s been a noticeable rise in water flow because of increased rainfall (CISWRA p. 64), but even with more water moving through, the amount of nutrients in the water has gone down — a clear sign that conservation efforts are making a difference.


Seasonal fluctuations

Long-term data over the past two decades from the U.S. Geological Service and local monitoring networks from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) show that nitrate levels naturally fluctuate seasonally, especially during heavy rainfall, but have remained relatively stable. 

For example, in the CISWRA report, Des Moines Water Works reported an average value of nitrate concentrations of 6.0 mg/L in the Des Moines River and 6.5 mg/L in the Raccoon River, both below the EPA’s safe drinking water level of 10 mg/L (CISWRA, p. 29). 

Iowa has always experienced seasonal spikes and outlier years — such as the floods of 1993 and 2008 and, more recently, the intense spring rains following the state’s worst drought since the 1950s. 

These events naturally influence nitrate levels, but they don't reflect a long-term worsening trend. To claim that Iowa’s water quality is declining ignores decades of conservation, innovation and collaboration that are having positive impacts across the state. 

The sweeping assertion misrepresents science and neglects to highlight real progress — such as the 33% decline in phosphorus, which surpasses the state’s reduction goal and reflects the effectiveness of farmers’ conservation practices outlined in the Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS).  


Focus on solutions

The INRS is the most comprehensive water quality plan in the country, annually reviewed and updated with the latest science. It includes a robust dashboard maintained by Iowa State University that tracks nutrient reductions, conservation practice adoption and water quality trends across the state (see website at https://tinyurl.com/h9vvhd3p). ;

Notably, the dashboard also documents a reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus over the past 25 years based on the DNR’s statewide water quality monitoring.

Critics of the INRS often rely on generalized statements and misinformation that create fear rather than acknowledging the collaborative progress underway. 

This kind of rhetoric sows division at a time when rural and urban communities are increasingly working together to protect Iowa’s waterways. Progress takes time, but it is happening. 

Iowa farmers care deeply about the land and water they use to grow their crops. To move forward, we must reject misleading generalizations and instead focus on proven, science-based solutions. Iowa’s water quality challenges are real, but so is the progress we’ve made and our resolve to do more. 

It’s time to choose collaboration over conflict in order to build on the momentum we’ve created.


Signed, 
Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA), Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), Iowa Cattlemen Association (ICA), Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC).


Editor's note: This editorial was also submitted to news outlets in the Quad Cities, Des Moines, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.