Here's a central-Iowa water quality question for everyone:
 
If, in the watersheds that Des Moines gets its drinking water  from--which 
are mainly the Raccoon River, but also, at certain times, the  Des Moines 
River--we went back to farming methods that were in use prior to  about 1940, 
which means no applications of anhydrous ammonia, would the Des  Moines 
Waterworks need to continue using the major nitrate removal plant which  they 
built a few years ago, in order to make our water safe to drink? (I  remember 
reading that our nitrate removal facility is the largest of its kind in  the 
world.)
 
Thanks for any comments on this!
 
Tom
Des Moines
 
PS--Regarding the objection that 1940s-era farming was much more  
labor-intensive than today, and therefore not a realistic option anymore,  consider 
that we have a serious labor surplus now, with unemployment probably  
understated at the official figure of 9.1 percent.

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