Letter: Iowa's water crisis needs more than 'volunteer compliance'

Kevin Shilling, Greenfield | Letter to the Editor

Show Caption Hide Caption Why Iowa’s water quality debate matters to you In early 2018 the Iowa Legislature took a step in addressing Iowa's water quality with a plan to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous levels by 45 percent.

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First, the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association issued a "no drink" water ban for nine counties in southwest Iowa. Then, Greenfield briefly had a drinking water ban. Meanwhile around 10 out of the 35 state-monitored beaches in Iowa are not recommended for swimming.

All of this is making basic living and recreational activities not only an inconvenience but also hazardous.

More: Greenfield won't be last Iowa town to have drinking water threatened by toxic blue-green algae, environmentalists say

State legislators may have acknowledged that Iowa has a water crisis, but their actions in fixing the problem just don’t cut it.

“Voluntary compliance” regarding factory farm manure management and other conservation measures are comparable to ideas like voluntary speed limits or voluntary tax submissions. Do you think people would voluntarily drive the speed limit or voluntarily submit taxes?

It is time for Iowa’s government leaders to work for the people of Iowa, not the Farm Bureau and corporate agriculture. We must hold these industrial giants accountable. We need mandatory rules and regulations, and polluters need to pay to clean up this whole mess.

— Kevin Shilling, Greenfield

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