Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Jan. 31, 2008
For immediate release
1. Final rule for manure application to soybeans on February EPC agenda
2. DNR study of Iowa’s water supplies, groundwater underway
3. Boil order issued to West Branch in Cedar County
4. DNR to hold annual water monitoring conference Feb. 25-26.
FINAL RULE FOR MANURE APPLICATION TO SOYBEANS ON FEBRUARY EPC AGENDA
MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Grimes at (515) 281-5135
DES MOINES – The final rule that would limit manure application on fields going into soybean production will be up for approval at the Feb. 5 Environmental Protection Commission meeting.
If approved, the rule would limit nitrogen application to 100 pounds of available nitrogen per acre on fields that are planted to soybeans or where soybeans will be the next crop planted. For example, fall application would be limited for a field where soybeans are planned for spring planting in the following year.
The limit would apply to nitrogen coming from animals held in confinements and open feedlots that are required to submit manure or nutrient management plans.
In other action, commissioners will be asked to increase the fees associated with water use permits, required for those using 25,000 or more gallons of water in a single day. The current fee of $25 every 10 years is not adequate for the DNR to monitor and assess hydrogeological data, especially when there is competition for water resources.
The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at the DNR Air Quality Building, 7900 Hickman Road in Urbandale. Public participation is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and the commission has a 10:15 a.m. appointment with Jessica Montana, a water quality advocate with the Iowa Department of Economic Development.
The complete agenda is as follows:
· Approval of Agenda
· Approval of Minutes
· Director’s Remarks
· 28E Agreement with the Office of Energy Independence
· Final Rule and Small Business Regulatory Analysis – Chapter 65 – Amendments Regulating Liquid Manure/Settled Open Feedlot Effluent to Soybeans
· Notice of Intended Action – Water Use & Allocation Permit Fees, Chapter 50: Scope of Division—Definitions—Forms—Rules of Practice
· Referrals to the Attorney General
§ Equitable L.P. / The Equitable Condo (Des Moines) – Air Quality
Proposed Contested Case Decision – University of Iowa
· Proposed Rule: Chapters 21, 22 and 33, Air Quality Program Rules – Additions and updates to the rules for emissions inventories, compliance provisions, construction permits, Title V permits and PSD permits.
· Process for Approving Stream Use Designation Changes
· Monthly Reports
· General Discussion
· Items for Next Month’s Meeting
§ March 11, 2008 in Des Moines
§ April 8, 2008 in Coon Rapids
More information about the agenda items can be found on the DNR Web site under Commissions and Boards at www.iowadnr.gov.
The members of the commission are David Petty, chair, Eldora; Charlotte Hubbell, vice chair, Des Moines; Suzanne Morrow, secretary, Storm Lake; Henry Marquard, Muscatine; Ralph Klemme, LeMars; Susan Heathcote, Des Moines; and Paul Johnson, Decorah. The director of the DNR is Richard Leopold.
Writer: Karen Grimes
# # #
DNR STUDY OF IOWA’S WATER SUPPLIES, GROUNDWATER UNDERWAY
Study begins with Dakota Aquifer in northwest Iowa
MEDIA CONTACT: Mike Gannon or Bob Libra, DNR Geological Survey, (319) 335-1575.
DES MOINES — The DNR has begun an ambitious, long-term effort to learn more about the state’s water supplies, with the first work focused on the Dakota sandstone aquifer in northwest Iowa.
“Learning about the characteristics of the Dakota Aquifer and modeling results for the future is our first step in getting a handle on our water supplies across the state,” said Bob Libra, with the DNR’s Geological Survey. “With increased water demands for energy production and other uses, and the prospect of a less predictable climate, there is a need for proactive water resource management. It’s a key piece of our economic vitality and quality of life,” said Libra.
Libra, the State Geologist, says the DNR plans to assess all of the state’s major bedrock and stream-valley aquifers, along with its surface water supplies, over the coming decade. The Dakota sandstone aquifer is the main bedrock groundwater source in northwest Iowa.
“We are remapping the complex geology, compiling water use amounts, updating groundwater quality test data, and gathering information on how the aquifer responds to pumping and environmental changes,” said Mike Gannon, also with the DNR Geological Survey.
That information is entered into a computer model that simulates how the aquifer operates and can help predict how it may act in the future if water withdrawals increase, or extended droughts impact supplies, said Gannon. The information will become available on the Web for towns, industries and rural residents.
Gannon said the Geological Survey hopes to have the model fully tested and operating by summer 2008. With some continued fine-tuning, the model will become the first regional predictive tool available for managing the state’s water over the coming decades.
“Our first tests show it is giving a reasonable rendition of how the aquifer operates regionally, and has been used to simulate local groundwater impacts accurately as well,”
Gannon said. “The beauty of this approach is that as new data become available, the model will be updated, which will continue to improve its accuracy.”
# # #
BOIL ORDER ISSUED TO WEST BRANCH IN CEDAR COUNTY
WEST BRANCH – The City of West Branch issued a boil order for about 50 residences located near the intersection of Fifth and Orange Streets Thursday morning.
The order was issued as a precaution after a break in a water main about 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Visitors to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum will not be affected by the boil order.
Boiling destroys bacteria present in the water. Water should be brought to a boil, boiled one minute and then allowed to cool before using. More information on disinfecting water is available on the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
Affected residents should boil water used for drinking or cooking, brushing teeth, food preparation or any other purpose involving human consumption until the boil order is lifted. City water may still be used for bathing.
City water operators hope to have repairs and disinfection completed by noon Thursday, but will wait until laboratory test results show lines are free from bacteria before lifting the boil order.
Writer: Karen Grimes
# # #
DNR TO HOLD ANNUAL WATER MONITORING CONFERENCE FEB. 25-26
MEDIA CONTACT: Mary Pat Heitman at (319) 335-1576 or [log in to unmask]
AMES — Water quality professionals and volunteers can discover what Iowans are doing to improve Iowa’s water resources at the DNR’s eighth annual Water Monitoring Conference. The DNR will hold the conference Feb. 25 and 26 on the Iowa State University campus in Ames.
This year’s conference will address groundwater resources, innovative technology, watershed assessment, stream dynamics, volunteer activities and developing water quality criteria for nutrients.
In addition to concurrent sessions and roundtable group discussions, the conference will feature four keynote speakers:
Lois Wright Morton, Iowa State University: Public Perceptions and Attitudes about Water in Iowa
Tim Asplund, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Groundwater Pumping and Lakes – Perspectives from Wisconsin
Luther Aadland, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Our Ailing Rivers: Is there a cure?
Adam Brooks, Skunk River Paddlers, Jewell, Iowa: My River Quest – The Tale of a Solo Kayak Journey Down the Two Largest Rivers in North America
Registration is $25 before 5 p.m. Feb. 18 and $30 after. The registration fee will be waived for IOWATER volunteers who are not federal, state or county employees.
Registration information, including forms and agendas, can be found at http://wqm.igsb.uiowa.edu.
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