As with many places in the United States, Iowa is experiencing sewage as an increasingly pressing topic. With many sub par septic systems and wastewater treatment plants, the state is experiencing how outdated infrastructure is harming the health of their population. Approximately 1 in every 5 commercial sewage plants in Iowa have exceeded their discharge limits over the last 5 years. Old wastewater treatment plants are dumping raw sewage into rivers and streams that provide over 900,000 people in Iowa with drinking water and recreation. In order to update these facilities, an estimated 3.5 billion dollars would be needed over the next 20 years. Even with the necessary funds, these plants take about 10 years to construct so clean water is a ways away for Iowa citizens.
Without improving wastewater treatment plants public health is at risk. According to a study done by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, approximately 10% of the states water did not meet quality standards. Because of this communities and citizens of the area have been warned of the potentially dangerous water supply and have been encouraged to purchase filters and to boil the water prior to consumption. Not only is human health at risk, but also the ecosystems, which only worsen as time goes on and nothing is done. One Iowa citizen claimed that when there are periods of dry weather there are “several streams that flow with only raw sewage”. In order to comply with water quality standards set by the Clean Water Act of 1972, towns and communities are being forced to invest in new sewage plants and improvements, which is putting a major dent in taxpayers pockets.
This issue is not only relevant in Iowa, but all over the United States as there is an estimated $150-$400 billion gap in money available for sewage treatment. Aging infrastructure and the “out of side out of mind” ideology have led to poor water quality and little action to fix it. Without the necessary funds from the government, local municipalities are having a hard time finding the funds to fix the problem. But regardless of the funds, this is a problem that needs to be fixed, as the government has a duty to protect the public from avoidable dangers to health, such as this. With a nationalized law requiring enforcement and routine facility checks, deteriorating systems could be avoided in the future. Maintaining wastewater facilities is key to maximizing their years of operation and minimizing negative health effects. The issue needs to remain a priority or else the situation at hand will continue to have negative effects on public health and on their wallets.
I understand the difficulty in obtaining funds for such projects, and agree that the governments duty is to protect public well being. Another angle to this situation is that if a nationalize law was passed it could in fact create jobs, but do you think inflexible bureaucracy is what is keeping back from a nationalized law that maintains wastewater facilities?
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