Trustees of the Des Moines Water Works voted at the end of a 60-day warning period to sue drainage districts in three counties in northwest Iowa over high levels of nitrate in the Raccoon River, a source of drinking water for Iowa’s capital city. The suit in federal court “could trigger far-reaching effects on how states approach water quality regulation,” said the Des Moines Register. The Water Works says tile drainage lines in farm fields carry nutrients into waterways, and the drainage districts should be regulated with special permits under federal clean-water laws.
The utility plans to file suit on Friday, according to the Register. Water officials said state officials and farm groups showed little interest in resolving the dispute through negotiation, according to the newspaper, which quoted an Iowa Department of Agriculture spokesman as saying the utility seemed intent on a lawsuit. The water board says it spends millions of dollars to remove nitrates from drinking water.