Dear Friends,

First, I regret to have to tell you that the global warming plunge scheduled for December 8th at Gray’s Lake in Des Moines has been cancelled.

Second, Iowa’s streams and rivers need your help.  While I am no water-quality wizard, I have worked hard on a range of environmental issues over the past 15 years.  I have gained a lot of respect for Iowa’s grassroots environmental leaders, including Steve Veysey.  Steve is a well-respected scientist and spokesman on water quality.  He’s the environmental protection coordinator for the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association and the conservation co-chair of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Just this week, I learned from him and others that the Iowa DNR proposes to downgrade water-quality standards in 279 river and stream segments, rendering these waters less safe for both aquatic life and human recreation.  To quote from a recent letter Steve sent to Sierra Club members, “DNR is essentially saying they have no evidence that anyone has ever recreated in these rivers and streams since 1975 in a manner that would pose a significant risk of ingesting water.  Therefore, recreational protection will be reduced in order to allow cities and industries to continue discharging unnecessary pollution.”

It’s up to us to let the DNR know that human activity IS occurring in these streams, and that the water quality needs to be protected.  The period allowed for public comments closes on December 11th.  You can learn more about the issue by visiting http://iowa.sierraclub.org/.  To weigh in with your own comments on streams and rivers where you’ve seen people fishing, canoeing, swimming, wading, tubing, etc, go to
http://iowa.sierraclub.org/Maps2/Water%20Uses%20Outreach%20Form1.pdf.  If you have photos that document any such activity, I imagine those would be of interest to the DNR as well.

In my own county of Polk, both Beaver and Four Mile creeks are on the DNR’s list of streams to downgrade.  I’ve canoed Beaver Creek several times, and have also seen people tubing and fishing in it.  I’ve seen kids wading along a sandbar on Four Mile Creek, and on two occasions have watched deer drink from it.  In Dallas County, I’ve canoed the South Raccoon River, which is also on the DNR’s hit list.

Friend and former legislative colleague, Bill Witt, summed it up in an e-mail to me yesterday, asking how far down the slippery slope we want to slide, suggesting that if you push the standard of "reasonable attainment” back far enough, Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River could still be burning.

One more quote of interest from Steve:  “{T}he key question I keep asking {the DNR}is, ‘When discussing recreational uses, does the occurrence of the use prove the existence of the use?’  Well, of course it does, but I can't get DNR to admit it.  We have them on record saying, ‘Swimming in polluted water doesn't prove the existence of swimming as a use; it proves the existence of swimming in polluted water as a use, and that is all that needs to be protected for.’  That usually gets a stir from the crowd.”

And it ought to get a stir from us, too.  If you have experience with activity on any of the streams and rivers proposed to be downgraded, please share that with the DNR.  Thanks for your help!

Ed Fallon

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