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