water quality

Currently, 597 bodies of water in Iowa are labeled as being impaired, meaning they are not healthy enough for their designated uses including recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption, and more.

There are several ways water bodies can become impaired. High amounts of bacteria in water can be harmful to people and animals, which leads to beach closings. Suspended sediment creates turbidity, or cloudiness, in the water, decreasing the amount of sunlight available for aquatic plants. Excessive nutrients can lead to unsightly algal blooms. Other chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides can negatively impact living organisms within the water body. Identifying the source of these contaminants isn’t always easy: sediment, nutrients, and bacteria are forms of nonpoint source pollution that cannot be readily tracked back to the original source.

Fortunately, there are a variety of practices that can be implemented to reduce the delivery of contaminants to Iowa’s water bodies. Buffer strips of grass and shrubs around streams and grass waterways in fields decrease the amount of sediment and nutrient transport. Farming practices such as no-till, strip-till, and cover crops help protect the land from erosion. Fencing off streams prevents livestock from adding bacteria to water, and keeps stream banks stable. Wetlands add beauty and wildlife habitat on the landscape and also reduce the amount of nitrate reaching rivers and streams. Whether you enjoy spending time on the lake or drinking an ice-cold glass of water from the tap, water quality matters to us all!