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.