In Des Moines, Nitrates Exacerbating Infrastructure Crisis

Des Moines is in the midst of an intense struggle to mitigate nitrates in its water, and the effort may require hefty infrastructure upgrades.

If the problems persist, the city “will have to spend $150 million to build a nitrate-removal plant to replace the aging tanks and outdated technology currently in use. Officials worry that on a hot summer day during peak demand, the utility will be unable to treat enough water, forcing a temporary shutdown that would require customers to use bottled water. The existing nitrate-removal system can treat only about 10 million gallons a day, a fraction of what the region needs,” according to the Associated Press.

The city is attempting to address some of its problems in the courts.

“The water agency has taken the unprecedented step of suing three major Iowa farming counties in federal court to try to limit the farm discharges. But the litigation provoked an intense backlash from Iowa's powerful agricultural industry, which argues that farmers are already taking voluntary measures to address the problem. A trial is set for next year,” the report said.

Bill Stowe, CEO and general manager of Des Moines Water Works, explained the challenges the utility is facing.

"We're reaching the end of the life cycle of some of the most critical assets we've got," he said, per the report. “[Des Moines had] a downtown treatment plant that was built in the 1940s, long before nitrates, which can harm infants, became a pressing concern. He said the industry is getting ‘all kinds of these warning alarms that we haven't heard before.’"

Rivers near Des Moines are highly polluted, according to the Associated Press. "Two rivers that supply water to 500,000 people in the Des Moines area show nitrate levels spiking to levels that make it unsafe for some to drink, a concentration experts haven't before seen in the fall that likely stems from especially wet weather in recent months," the AP reported last year.

Not everyone is disillusioned with the region's nitrate policies. Farm interests have spoken out in favor of state-level policies. The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, headquartered at the Iowa Soybean Association, supports the state effort to combat nitrates.

"The strategy is a science-based initiative to reduce nitrate and phosphorus loads in Iowa waterways by 45 percent from point and nonpoint sources. The coordinated, bi-partisan approach to reduce nutrient loads is the most significant catalyst for improving environmental performance in Iowa in a generation. State lawmakers overwhelmingly approved $22.4 million to support the strategy in the spring of 2013," the group says.

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