Safe Water Iowa

06/08/2026

The lawn watering ban for most of the Des Moines Metro is back in effect.

This has nothing to do with drought or lack of water, but instead entirely due to the contaminants in the rivers which we source the water from being so high for so long that they cannot be properly removed fast enough to meet the demand.

This will continue to be a problem, maybe not every single year, but increasingly so until we do something to stop the contaminants from entering the waterways in such amounts in the first place.

( https://safewateriowa.com/live-des-moines-nitrate-levels )

06/05/2026

The Des Moines metro gets a lot of the conversation around water pollution, but those on private well-water are undoubtedly at the most risk if their water has not been tested recently.

“In Iowa, for example, in 2022, 7.6% of residents rely on well water, and in 2020, more than 96,000 wells were in use in the state. That could be significant given that Iowa has one of the highest cancer rates in the country, and a March study found that this is in part linked to — you guessed it — elevated nitrate levels in the state’s drinking water.”

A new analysis links manure and the overapplication of fertilizer from agriculture to contaminated water, and suggests the EPA’s allowed limits are too high to prevent nitrate-related cancer, thyroid disease and birth defects.

06/03/2026

Iowas water quality crisis continues to get national attention.

This is a great piece by More Perfect Union featuring Chris Jones for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, The Lobe Rangers and Art Cullen of the Storm Lake Times Pilot.

Cancer rates in Iowa are rising faster than anywhere else in the co...

06/01/2026

Take a minute to check out this great piece on Iowa’s water quality with Iowa Starting Line and Chris Jones for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.

05/29/2026

If you’re wanting to know what it takes to change Iowa’s water quality — you need to be following and paying attention to The Lobe Rangers.

They’re real farmers showing that it’s possible to be profitable AND conscious agriculture’s effect of water quality.

05/27/2026

Sneak peak 💧👀

05/26/2026

Meanwhile, on an absolutely beautiful Memorial Day Weekend — The Des Moines and Raccoon River nitrate levels spiked as runoff from the first rains following fertilizer application season began to reach central Iowa.

See for yourself with daily tracking on our website: https://safewateriowa.com/live-des-moines-nitrate-levels

05/14/2026

Yesterday, we hosted an AMA (Ask-Me-Anything) on Reddit with two environmental and public-health experts from right here in Iowa where they were able to give high-level and well thought out answers to a bunch of questions regarding water quality, Iowa's cancer rates, advocacy, and more. If you'd like to check it out we'll drop a link below.

Huge thanks to the experts below that not only provided answers yesterday, but also spend so much time advocating for Iowan's health. They, along with their organizations (The Harkin Institute and Iowa Environmental Council) are truly on the front lines.

Adam Shriver -Director of Wellness and Nutrition, Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement at Drake University

Kerri Johannsen - Senior Director of Policy and Programs at the Iowa Environmental Council

Link to AMA:

Explore this post and more from the desmoines community

05/04/2026

It’s not CIWWs fault, but it’s insane that we have to conserve water just to make sure it can meet the federal nitrate standard for drinking water that is probably twice as high as it actually should be.

Our goal is to provide great tasting reverse osmosis water in your home so your family can be confident the water you’re drinking is healthy, and we take a portion of every sale to help fund water quality programs here in Iowa so this doesn’t have to be a problem for future generations.

➡️ Learn more: safewateriowa.com/solutions

🚨 Delay Lawn Watering 🚨

🌧️ Rain and cooler weather have your lawn covered for now. No need to turn on the sprinkler.

Here are tips for using water wisely outdoors and indoors:
🌱 Skip watering unless your lawn truly needs it
🏠 Fix leaks, shorten showers, and wait for full loads

Small actions make a big difference. 💧

05/01/2026

You may have heard:

With Governor Reynolds announcement, today was a big day regarding water quality in Iowa—particularly the Des Moines Metro. We’re still waiting to best understand the ramifications and whether this is a good, neutral, or lackluster plan.

Regardless, we at Safe Water Iowa view this as a win in isolation as it continues to prove that there is so much momentum behind improving water quality in our state. The first step is acknowledging the problem, and we feel this announcement today helps to solidify that.

We want to provide some (not all!) additional resources to stay up to date and informed on water quality issues in our state ⬇️

Chris Jones for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Bleeding Heartland
The Harkin Institute
Zach Lahn for Governor
Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, Inc. - JFAN
The Lobe Rangers
Canary in a Cornfield
Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance