Republicans in the legislature have unveiled a 16-point-two million dollar plan to improve water quality in Iowa. One quarter of that money would be used to dredge lakes, according to Mary Lou Freeman, a state Senator from Alta. Another seven million would be given as grants to farmers for soil conservation measures. Some of the funds would be used to study the “watersheds” around rivers to track contamination. Senator Freeman says the water run-off from farm fields and chemically-treated lawns needs to be tracked. Another two-million dollars will be used to cap ag drainage wells which are too close to lagoons which store manure from livestock operations.The plan also implements Governor Vilsack’s goal of establishing water monitoring stations throughout the state to track surface water quality.
