STOP CHEMICAL AND MANURE SPILLS IN IOWA

Manure and chemical spills continue to occur with regularity in Iowa and
their effects are severe. Please take a few moments to write Environmental
Protection Division Administrator, Michael Valde, to express your concerns.
Your input will make a difference.

Michael Valde
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Wallace State Office Building
East 9th and Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319
or
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You may use the sample letter provided below. Or, better yet, personalize
it, or write your own. The points below may help you with your message.
Consider submitting your letter to your local paper, as well.

POINTS TO RAISE IN YOUR LETTER CONCERNING MANURE AND CHEMICAL SPILLS AND THE
PROBLEM OF WATER POLLUTION IN IOWA:

o    Manure and chemical spills have occurred with regularity and their
effects are severe. There have been 127 incidents since 1995 killing over
3.5 million fish. Annual fish kills range from 2,000 to 1 million since
1989. In 2001, prior to the Lott's Creek spill, there were 23 spills which
killed more than 190,000 fish. The Lott's Creek spill affected 48 miles of
stream killing nearly 1.3 million fish, making it the worst fish kill in
Iowa history. Virtually every plant and animal that lived in the spill's
path died. 

o     Not only are fish killed, the entire ecosystem is degraded or
destroyed. In some cases recovery could take years.

o    Water pollution is a serious problem in Iowa. Farm runoff as well as
manure and liquid fertilizer spills have been persistent sources of
degradation. In 1999 the US Environmental Protection Agency listed 157 of
Iowa's lakes and stretches of water impaired.

o    In many cases, contamination of streams results in danger to human
health due to high nitrate levels in drinking water and higher water
treatment costs. Des Moines Water Works has the world's largest
nitrate-filtration system due to the high level of nitrates in the Raccoon
River. Nitrates have been linked to cancer and pose hazards to the health of
infants.

o    The impact of Iowa's chemical use extends far beyond its borders,
contributing a major portion of the nutrient load that is responsible for
the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

o    Chemical and manure spills damage Iowa's image. The same is true for
beach closings due to high  fecal bacteria counts. This damages tourism and
makes the state less attractive to those considering moving here.

o    The extensive toll on sport fish impacts the recreational opportunities
for Iowans and visitors.

o     Iowa has had a tradition of issuing variances for existing operations
when the provisions for those operations have been tightened.  This means
that many facilities are operating below standards set by the Iowa Code and
the rules of the DNR and may not be regulated by the EPA as well. This
practice makes our state and federal laws and regulations meaningless and
sets the stage for disasters such as the Lottís Creek fish kill.

SOLUTIONS:

o    Current regulations are inadequate. Fines should be large enough to act
as a deterrent.

o    When chemical or manure spills damage natural resources, the state
should take recourse to federal law. State laws do not adequately account
for the extensive effects of major spills.

o    Much stiffer fines and corrective procedures should be levied on repeat
offenders.

o    Settlement of spill cases should include specific steps the offender
can take to prevent recurrence.

o    Variances that allow systems to operate at safety levels below that
required by the Iowa Code should be reviewed and systems brought into
compliance.

SAMPLE LETTER:

I am concerned about the reports of fertilizer and manure spills killing
fish and poisoning our streams. In one month recently we had three spills
killing close to three million fish. It is evident that the rules,
regulations and enforcement procedures, as they now stand, have created a
situation where the environment is protected by a thin margin of error. An
accident caused by faulty equipment, poorly situated lagoons or pipelines,
or an inattentive operator can cause major damage. The risk of killing a
stream and its contents should be enough to ensure that every possible
precaution is taken; but it seems more has to be done.

We need better preventive measures and stiffer fines. We need to revoke
variances and bring old systems up to standard. In addition, the repeat
offender should be faced with even higher fines, or the revocation or
suspension of permits.

Liquid manure and fertilizer are dangerous. We should have exact procedures
for handling them and tough laws and enforcement to ensure responsible
behavior. I strongly urge the Iowa Department of Natural Resource¹s
Environmental Protection Division to make this issue a top priority.