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Iowa has the second-highest cancer rates in the U.S., with a sharp rise in breast, prostate, and lung cancer cases, particularly in Northwest Iowa. Concerns about agricultural pollution and the lack of legislative action have prompted local meetings to urge citizens to advocate for clean air and water. Voter influence is essential for change. Continue reading Time to make some noise about cancer in Iowa
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A report by Food and Water Watch analyzed nearly 200 manure spills in Iowa between 2013 and 2023, highlighting northwest Iowa’s high spill concentration linked to animal feeding operations. It urged stricter regulations, citing inadequate enforcement and underreporting of incidents. The report calls for more accountability for corporate polluters in Iowa. Continue reading New report shows 10 years of agriculture spills into Iowa waterways
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a diesel spill in a tributary of Willow Creek in Monona County. The spill occurred when a pickup truck carrying red diesel crashed, causing the contents to empty into the water. Booms have been deployed to contain the spill, and the driver is cooperating with the authorities for cleanup. Continue reading Diesel spill near Mapleton reaches Willow Creek
The permit process and ballot referral highlight the emergence of carbon pipelines and landowner rights as political flashpoints in South Dakota. Summit Carbon Solutions seeks a permit for a network of carbon capture pipelines, and a citizen-led referral challenges a legislative package known as the “Landowner Bill of Rights.” The referendum will give voters a direct say in pipeline policy. Continue reading Referred pipeline law puts company’s permit quest in limbo
Most mountain and plains states have seen reductions in pollutants released to the air, water and soil since 2013 at a rate of decline more than double the national average.
In South Dakota, though, toxic releases increased by 16%.
That’s according to recently published 2022 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory. Continue reading EPA data: South Dakota industrial chemical releases rise amid national decline
There are at least 721 water body segments in Iowa that do not meet water quality standards for recreation, public water supplies and the protection of aquatic life, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
The DNR has drafted its latest list of “impaired” waters that it is required to submit to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency every two years. The list is based on data collected by the department and numerous other entities between 2020 and 2022, and it is used to guide restrictions for stream pollution for Continue reading More than half of Iowa’s tested streams and lakes are ‘impaired’
Less precipitation means less pollution is running into the Big Sioux River, according to a 2023 water quality report. “You can see a pretty strong correlation between the amount of rainfall and water quality,” Friends of the Big Sioux River’s Emily Oyos said. “A very direct correlation.”
“We had a significantly less amount of rain than 2022, and that has resulted in better numbers,” said Rachel Kloos, with Friends of the Big Sioux River. Otherwise, the results reveal many of the same problems as in past years. Continue reading Less rain results in a cleaner Big Sioux River, report says
The Siouxland Observer 