DNR Unveils Draft of Impaired Waterways in Iowa
December 3, 2020
On Tuesday, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released its latest draft of 303d of impaired waters and is seeking feedback from the public. The DNR has recommended 99 impairments be removed from the impairment list once that measure is approved by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). According to the DNR, “The report identifies surface waters that do not fully meet all applicable state water quality standards for their intended use and that need a water quality improvement plan.” Out of the 1,545 water segments that were studied, 284 segments fully met the standards for intended use, 489 were deemed to need further investigation and 586 did not fully meet one or more of the standards and were impaired. The DNR is taking public comments through Dec. 30. Those should be emailed to IRcomment@dnr.iowa.gov. If you have specific comments or feedback that you would like ABI to submit, please contact Brad Hartkopf.