Clean water requires consensus,
plus courage

By Duane Sand

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Last January Governor Vilsack challenged Iowans to clean up our impaired waters by 2010. In his opening remarks at November's Iowa Water Summit, Vilsack asked participants for consensus to help define what is politically possible now. But he also asked for courage to change our ways of thinking and to seek high goals-even if those goals seem impossible today.

INHF shared research information and problem-solving ideas throughout the Iowa Water Summit process. After months of study and debate, the Water Summit consensus report is now finished and available at www.iowadnr.com/other/watersummit/index.html (click '"final work group reports"). The report offers major progress if recommendations are implemented.

What is not obvious in the report is the limits of a consensus process where every interest represented has veto power over the ideas of others. It's like trying to ensure highway safety if race car clubs could veto the speed limit, truckers could veto weight limits and youth groups could veto the driver's license test.

The consensus report deserves public support, but it is not the final answer to our water problems. It relies greatly on voluntary, incentive-based programs without defining adequate funding sources. It avoids conflict and thus transfers too much responsibility from polluters to public programs.

If we truly want clean water by 2010, Iowa's citizens and leaders must add courage to the equation:

1. Courage to better enforce existing regulations. Federal laws can reduce water contamination from urban storm water, water treatment discharges, feed lots, soil erosion and other sources. However, enforcement of these laws in Iowa is inadequate.

2. Courage to target state and federal resources. Though Iowa has technology and monitoring to identify the worst areas within our watersheds, assistance and incentives are generally directed to whoever requests them rather than where they're most needed. Without political will to target funds for maximum benefits within priority watersheds, we sacrifice money and results.

3. Courage to seek local ownership of problems. Too many communities wait for state and federal grants rather than use their own resources. More must be asked of local government by way of drainage districts, watershed districts, storm water utilities or other taxing authorities to help address pollution problems.

4. Courage to dedicate more state funding. The Water Summit produced valuable ideas for more efficient budgets and agencies. However, we will need far more water protection funding if we are serious about clean water.

Governor Vilsack and hundreds of volunteers deserve much credit for their Water Summit work. But it still requires great courage and leadership for Iowa's impaired waters to be eliminated by 2010. We will all need to do our part.

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

For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, director of communications, or call (515) 288-1846.