Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,
A recent article from the Farm Bureau is claiming Iowa families don’t have any reason to be scared to drink Iowa’s water. This claim left me in a state of shock, considering Iowa has over 750 impaired waterways.
It goes on to explain, that 98 percent of Iowans received water that met all the health-based drinking water standards. Sure, that’s true—if you base it solely off the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards that were set over 50 years ago. Standards that current science has shown to be completely outdated and too high to protect against cancer and harmful pregnancy outcomes.
The article goes on to paint the picture that most of Iowa’s water pollution is due to natural disasters (like flooding) and that “agriculture is often the scapegoat.” That’s a completely ridiculous claim, as there is tons of research to prove that industrial agriculture is the leading cause of water pollution in the U.S. and around the world.
Claiming that Iowa’s waterways are safe, and that Iowan’s have nothing to worry about, is a blatant disregard for the safety of our communities. Iowans know that Big Ag companies (like Farm Bureau) are responsible for polluting Iowa’s waters. We need mandatory rules and regulations on Big Ag corporations, not voluntary ones, if we every hope to overcome Iowa’s clean water crisis.
Keisha Perkins, Iowa CCI Member
Norwalk, Iowa