Environmental Policy:
Challenge: Clean Water

by Duane Sand

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Thinking big is part of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation's organizational culture. Our leadership has always been fond of the quotation printed on the photo below, and they've guided INHF accordingly. Complacency will not do right by those who follow!

We are called to share our vision, take risks-and sometimes engage in controversy.
INHF is now providing such leadership by advocating for the consensus recommendations of the 2003 Water Summit-while challenging the "meager-minded planning" of some current programs.

Many Iowans in leadership positions were quick to doubt Governor Tom Vilsack's ambitious goal of cleaning up all impaired waters by 2010. Conventional wisdom said the goal was too big and the state treasury too small. Their doubts were reinforced when Iowa's legislature rejected a $5 million request to begin implementing Water Summit recommendations.

INHF's response has been to research, document and question-which helped us discover four under-used federal and/or state funds within the control of the Governor's appointed commissions:|

Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund:
About 25% of available funds are uncommitted each year. About $120 million can be available for low-interest loans for nonpoint source pollution control and for new sponsored watershed projects.

Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund:
Iowa could spend as much as $16.8 million for source water protection initiatives by reallocating pollution control dollars that were recently transferred into the infrastructure fund.

Underground Storage Tank Remediation Fund:
About $14 million of uncommitted funds could be used for urban storm-water monitoring and clean-up projects.

Transportation Mitigation Policy:
We are researching water-related impacts of the road system and the Iowa Department of Transportation's authority to mitigate these impacts.

Governor Vilsack is fond of saying there is nothing Iowans cannot do when they put their minds to it. At INHF, we too live by the philosophy of "where there's a will, there's a way."

Our research suggests that there are affordable ways to fund the Governor's clean water goal-if there is the political will and top-level leadership to amend administrative policies.

Such reforms will test whether Iowa is really a "can do" or "can't do" state for cleaning up impaired waters.

Duane Sand is a policy consultant for INHF and other organizations.

For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, INHF Communications Director, or call (515) 288-1846.