Speak Out as Another Iowan for Clean Water:
Attend a Water Quality Meeting in Iowa

The Sierra Club's 1999 lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency to
require the agency to fully enforce the Clean Water Act in Iowa highlighted
the impaired waters problem in Iowa, and the fact that the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) and federal EPA were not meeting their obligations to
complete TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) allocations and cleanup plans for
impaired waters.

Before this time, little attention had been paid to this issue in Iowa.

But now, Iowa's governor is paying attention, and he's asking the rest of
Iowa to take notice, too.

In January 2003, Governor Tom Vilsack announced that "by 2010 there should be
no - I repeat no - impaired waters list in Iowa."  To reach this goal,
Governor Vilsack also announced that a series of regional water quality meetings
would be held throughout Iowa during October, culminating in a state water
quality summit in November.

This means that the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club needs to be out in front
on this issue, providing input at the regional water quality meetings and the
state water quality summit.


Below is a schedule for the regional water quality meetings.  We hope you
attend the meeting in your area and ask questions about water quality in your
part of the state.

If you have information about particular waterways, share that with the Iowa
DNR.

If you know stories of successful water quality protection or restoration
projects in your area, share those, too, as examples of real solutions that can
be implemented to address water quality problems in Iowa.

And maybe most importantly, remind the DNR and Governor's office that we want
real solutions to come out of the state water quality summit, not just
another water quality plan that gets put on a shelf and forgotten.

We all need to take responsibility for the water quality issues in Iowa, so
please attend the regional water quality meeting in your part of the state.


Regional Water Quality Meetings

All meetings are scheduled from 6:30 - 9:00 PM at the facility indicated.

October 7, 2003                             October 8, 2003
Kirkwood Community College              Northeast Iowa Community College
6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW                    1625 Highway 150
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404                        Calmar, IA 52132
Iowa Room in Iowa Hall (3rd floor)          Wilder Auditorium

October 14, 2003                            October 16, 2003
Des Moines Area Community College       Rathbun Regional Water Association
2006 South Ankeny Blvd                    16166 HWY J29
Ankeny, IA 50021-3993                         Centerville, IA 52544-8307
Auditorium                                    Water Treatment Plant

October 21, 2003                            October 22, 2003
Southwestern Community College          North Iowa Area Community College
1501 W. Townline                            500 College Drive
Creston IA 50801                            Mason City, IA 50401-7299
Room 220                                      Muse Norris Center Room 180C

October 23, 2003                            October 30, 2003
Western Iowa Technical College              Iowa Lakes Community College
4647 Stone Avenue                           2021 Main Street
PO Box 5199                             Emmettsburg, IA 50536
Sioux City IA 51106                         Auditorium
Building A, Room 920, Large Lecture Hall


General Agenda for each session:

6:30 PM     Status of Water Quality and Water Quality Trends in Iowa
6:50 PM     Iowa's Nutrient Budget and Nutrients in Iowa's Waters
7:10 PM     Iowa's Impaired Waters
7:30 PM     Break
7:40 PM     Local Water Quality Program
8:00 PM     Public Participation
9:00 PM     Adjourn

Questions or comments should be directed to Bernie Hoyer (515-281-7247) or
[log in to unmask]


You are also encouraged to attend the state water quality summit on November
24 and 25 in Ames.  There will be space for about 200 members of the public to
attend and registration materials will be available on the DNR's website:
www.iowadnr.com

The time is now to tell the DNR, Governor's office, and rest of the state
that Iowans deserve clean water, and that all of us have a role to play in
protecting Iowa's water quality.

Please attend the regional water quality meetings and state summit, to make
your voice heard as "Another Iowan for Clean Water."

Thank you for your help!

Erin E. Jordahl
Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
[log in to unmask]
www.iowa.sierraclub.org

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