Report: Highest nitrate levels in 10 years on Raccoon River
A report from Agriculture's Clean Water Alliance says half of the 45 monitoring sites on the Raccoon River in central Iowa are showing the highest average nitrate levels in 10 years of data collection.
The Des Moines Register (http://dmreg.co/1MNLtMV ) reports the data on the river, which is a source of drinking water for 500,000 central Iowa residents, was included in the agribusiness group's Thursday report.
The group's executive director Roger Wolf says significant amounts of rain this year has stripped nitrogen from the state's farm fields, and nitrate levels have fluctuated in recent years due to shifts between wet and dry growing condition. He said many factors influence water quality, but that weather is a particular driving force.
Jennifer Terry, environmental advocacy leader for Des Moines Water Works, says the group's report shows "continued water degradation."