In the DM Register today

DNR should enforce water quality rules

Key committees in the Iowa House and 
Senate recently made the decision to move 
the majority of Iowa's water quality 
programs from the Iowa Department of 
Natural Resources to the Iowa Department 
of Agriculture. In particular, they made the 
decision to move all water quality 
monitoring to the Department of 
Agriculture.

This decision was made with little public 
input, no public subcommittee hearings 
and only one full committee meeting on 
these major changes. These changes would 
no longer make the governor accountable 
for these important water quality 
programs, but would instead put control in 
the hands of an agency whose primary 
mission is to promote Iowa agriculture.

Selling Iowa's agricultural products is an 
important function and it's rightfully housed 
with the Department of Agriculture. Iowans 
also deserve an agency whose primary 
purpose is to protect our shared natural 
resources - the Iowa DNR.

These programs protect our drinking 
water, help prevent future flooding and 
plan for impacts on critical fish and wildlife 
habitat. These are the "bread and butter" 
for the Iowa DNR.

Of course, there are always ways to do 
things more efficiently, but don't take water 
quality monitoring out of the Iowa DNR and 
hand it to an agency focused more on 
economic development.

Our kids and grandkids will regret it.

- Mark Langgin, director, Iowa's Water & 
Land Legacy, Des Moines

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