Larry Ginter
Rhodes
As our water continues to get more and more polluted, only a handful of our elected officials are stepping up and taking action to begin holding polluters accountable. Last week Rep. Dan Kelley, from Newton, was one of those elected officials. He joined Iowa CCI members for a meeting with the Iowa DNR to get an update on how the DNR was implementing the Clean Water Act for factory farms in Iowa.
Since the Clean Water Act rule passed this year, DNR still hasn’t issued a single Clean Water Act permit, toughened fines or penalties or met their inspection deadlines. The Central Iowa Water Association, which provides water to me, Newton and surrounding areas, draws its water from wells near the Skunk and Iowa Rivers — both of which are on the Iowa’s polluted waterways list. Right now the CIWA is able to provide safe drinking water but if the future is anything like what’s happening to drinking water in Des Moines, it’s important we get ahead of the game now.
It’s a breath of fresh air to have Rep. Kelley stand with us and take the clean water issue seriously. I hope we can work with him during the 2015 legislative session to introduce some meaningful clean water legislation.