City of Storm Lake issued the following announcement on Dec. 17.
The City of Storm Lake has reached an innovative agreement with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that allows an investment in conservation practices to improve water quality and assist the city’s wastewater treatment plant meet state water quality goals.
Storm Lake became Iowa’s third community to sign such an agreement. Dubuque and Cedar Rapids reached similar agreements earlier this year.
The Storm Lake agreement allows the city to invest in practices such as cover crops on farms in the North Raccoon River watershed, to improve water quality and reduce the risk of flooding.
“This agreement allows us to focus our resources on the best practices to reduce excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, in the water as well as to reduce flooding in our community,” said Keri Navratil, City Manager for Storm Lake.
“The health of Storm Lake is vitally important to our community members and continued growth as a city. The work that has been done has aided in the clarity and sustainability of the lake,” Navratil added.
The state requires Storm Lake and about 100 other communities to reduce nitrogen levels by 66 percent and phosphorus levels by 75 percent at their wastewater treatment plants. Timetables to accomplish this varies by community.
The wastewater reduction goals are part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy that calls for urban and rural areas to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that reaches the Mississippi River and contributes to the “dead zone” where it meets the Gulf of Mexico. Research from the University of Iowa shows that Iowa’s contribution to this problem is increasing compared to other states.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Storm Lake
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