The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission will hear comments from the new
director, Jeff Vonk, at its meeting on Monday, March 19, at 10 a.m. in the
fourth floor conference room of the Wallace State Office Building.  The
meeting is open to the public and there is a public participation period at
10:30 a.m.

COMMISSIONERS WILL CONSIDER STREAM MONITORING CONTRACT FOR IMPAIRED WATERS

DES MOINES - A proposal to intensely monitor 12 impaired streams in Iowa
will be considered Monday, March 19, by the Iowa Environmental Protection
Commission. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. in the fourth floor conference
room of the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines.

"Obtaining accurate, credible data is key to improving any of our waters in
the state," according to Bill Ehm of the Department of Natural Resources.
"Having the correct information of what pollutant is impairing the water and
where it is coming from is obviously critical to developing plans to address
the problem."

The proposal before the commission would establish a contract with the
University of Iowa Hygienic Lab to extensively monitor the 12 streams
located throughout the state for physical, chemical and biological
characteristics of the water. The data will then be used to develop a total
maximum daily load - or TMDL - for each of the streams. The TMDL identifies
the pollution problem and determine what pollution control methods can be
used to improve water quality.

In addition to regular monthly monitoring on each of the streams for a year,
the proposed agreement with the hygienic lab also calls for monitoring
during two snowmelt runoff events and four rainfall runoff events from March
through November.

"All of this information is extremely valuable to us in determining when the
pollutants reach our streams and where they come from," said Ehm who
coordinates the DNR's TMDL program.

The information will also be accessible to the general public as it is
gathered. Plans call for the information to be posted on the DNR Geological
Survey Bureau's website at http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/ approximately 30 days
after each monitoring event.

Iowa currently has 157 waterbodies listed as impaired, most of which are for
sediment and nutrients associated from erosion.

The 12 streams proposed for the monitoring program are:

Rock Creek, Clinton County
Maquoketa River, Jackson County
Mud Creek, Muscatine County
Sugar Creek, Cedar County
Buffalo Creek, Linn County
North Fork Maquoketa River, Dubuque County
Volga River, Clayton County
Black Hawk Creek, Black Hawk County
Middle Fork S. Beaver Creek, Grundy County
Camp Creek, Polk County
Milford Creek, Dickinson County
Little Floyd River, O'Brien County
==========================
The members of the commission are Terrance Townsend, Chair, Newton; James
Braun, Latimer; Lisa Davis-Cook, West Des Moines; Kathryn Murphy, LeMars;
Rita Venner, Breda; Rozanne King, Mondamin; Gary C. Priebe, Algona; Darrell
Hanson, Manchester and Randal Giannetto, Marshalltown.

The complete agenda is as follows:

· Approve Agenda
· Approve Minutes of February 19, 2001
· Director's Remarks
· DNR Rules Assessment Report
· Recision of Chapters 101 and 109 and Establishment of a New Chapter 101:
Solid Waste Comprehensive Planning
· Adoption: Amendments to 567 - Chapter 211 Grants for Regional Collection
Centers of Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators and Household
Hazardous Wastes
· Solid Waste Alternative Program - Recommendations
· Designation of a "State Water Coordinator"
· TMDL Monitoring Contract with UHL
· Contract to Develop a Private Well Database and Management Program
· Proposed Contested Case Decision - Bee Rite Tire Disposal, Inc.; Jerry
Yoemens
· Referrals to the Attorney General
· Monthly Reports
· Air Quality - Title V Fee Budget Review
· Drinking Water State Revolving Fund - Intended Use Plan for FY 2001
· Rescission of Chapter 567-IAC 118, "Removal of Disposal of Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCBs) from Appliances Prior to Processing" and Establishment of a
New Chapter 118 - Item for Action at April 2001 Meeting.
· Waste tire Stockpile Abatement Projects for 2001-2002
· Presentation on Anaerobic Digestion Facilities in Europe
· General Discussion
· Items for the next meeting

For more information, contact Karen Grimes, DNR Information Specialist, at
(515) 281-5135.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]