Driftless v. Iowa DNR

Court sends case back for DNR investigation

The Iowa Court of Appeals’ June 2026 decision in Driftless Water Defenders v. Iowa Department of Natural Resources arose from a dispute over a water-use permit issued to Supreme Beef, a cattle-feeding operation in Clayton County. An environmental group and individual residents (“Driftless”) challenged the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), arguing that the agency failed to properly address environmental...