Iowa DNR has recently announced it is launching a new “Triennial Review” for 2018-2020. As required by the Clean Water Act, Iowa must conduct a review of our state water quality standards every three years.
The purpose of the Triennial Review is to give members of the public the opportunity to tell DNR what they feel the state’s priorities for water quality standards should be for the next three years.
DNR has proposed the following priorities to work on:
Updating the water quality standard for aluminum to protect aquatic life;
Updating stream and lake Use Attainability Analyses (UAAs) that determine how Iowans use our lakes, rivers and streams (ie aquatic life uses, recreation and drinking water); and
Revising water quality standards for all metals to protect aquatic life.
This is not enough! We need your help to get nutrient water quality criteria added as a state priority for the next three years.
on setting water quality standards for nutrient pollution in Iowa’s waters. As a crucial first step, Iowa DNR should prioritize rulemaking to adopt the numeric nutrient standards already developed for significant public recreational lakes.After you take action, here are three additional ways to get involved:
Take these talking points to one of the three public hearings held by the DNR
