Iowa cleans up

When environmental groups filed petitions last fall questioning the Iowas enforcement of water quality regulations, dairy producers took notice.

Heavy rains and flooding stressed lagoons, and some overflows occurred. And producers worried how those actions might ultimately affect the way

"Environmental groups who filed petitions saying the DNR hasn't enforced the (1972) Clean Water Act are very correct," says Gene Tinker, Iowa DNR Animal Feeding Operations Coordinator. "The EPA made that known in 2000. The agency told the DNR then to get on board. We've made progress even though we haven't corrected all the industry's water quality problems. It takes time to change."

Robert Burns, an Iowa State University ag engineer, believes Iowa producers and related ag industries have made progress in the last decade.

"Awareness of requirements is better not just for producers but for service providers too," Burns says. "Iowa's regulations for producers are more stringent than other states I've worked in. Heavy rains this past summer put some pressure on managers. But day in and day out, producers are doing a good job of meeting regulations."