The Truth about Iowa’s Water: The Facts, the Policies, and the Politics

Wednesday, February 11

7:00 – 8:30 pm

Fairfield Public Library

104 W. Adams Avenue

FREE

In case of bad weather, JFAN will hold this important meeting on water quality on Zoom. Please register here.

 

The Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment (CISWRA) report, Currents of Change, that was released last summer is the most comprehensive, scientifically-based water report ever conducted in the Des Moines and Raccoon River watershed. Its findings: nearly 80% of the nitrate contamination in those two rivers comes from agricultural sources.

Former Polk County Administrator John Norris and Harkin Institute Director of Wellness and Nutrition Adam Shriver will present the science behind the report's findings as well as discuss policies Iowa must implement to adequately address our water quality crisis and the politics involved in doing so. 

Both Norris and Shriver played an instrumental role with the report, one in its genesis and the other in its awareness. 

Norris initially pitched the idea for this study to Polk County supervisors and other stakeholders. It took Norris six months to convince them to fund it, but what resulted was a two-year study involving 16 scientific advisors producing a detailed 200-page report that tied agriculture to the region’s nitrate contamination.

When the report was initially presented, Big Ag interests wanted to bury it. Instead, Shriver organized a meeting at Drake University to publicly announce its findings. It drew 1000 people in person and online, launching the report into the public discourse that’s led to meetings like this one across the state. 

The Truth About Iowa’s Water will begin with a 20-minute recorded segment of the Harkin meeting with four of the scientists presenting the science behind the report.

The bulk of the meeting will cover key policies developed by Norris and Shriver that would directly impact water quality and, politically, what’s involved in getting them adopted and implemented. Plenty of time will be left for questions and answers. 

About Our Speakers

John Norris has had a lifetime of experience in agriculture, energy and environmental policy. Prior to serving as Polk County Administrator, he was Chief of Staff at the US Department of Agriculture and was appointed by President Obama as US Minister-Counselor for Agriculture to two United Nations organizations: Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program. 

Dr. Adam Shriver is the Director of Wellness and Nutrition at the Harkin Institute for Public Policy at Drake University and is a member of the steering committee for the Iowa Food System Coalition. He’s organized several conferences looking at the harmful effects of CAFOs and is the co-lead on a project with the Iowa Environmental Council looking at the connection between agriculture and Iowa's high cancer rates. 

In the event of bad weather, this meeting will be held online. Please register here so we can inform you if we have to switch to Zoom.