A federal district judge has dismissed in its entirety the Des Moines Water Works’ lawsuit against the Sac, Calhoun and Buena Vista drainage districts in northwest Iowa. The federal Clean Water Act claim was dismissed for lack of standing considering the drainage districts’ limited status under Iowa law.

                                                                       STATEMENT FROM ICGA PRESIDENT KURT HORA DES MOINES WATERWORKS LAWSUIT DISMISSED

A federal district judge has dismissed in its entirety the Des Moines Water Works' lawsuit against the Sac, Calhoun and Buena Vista drainage districts in northwest Iowa. The federal Clean Water Act claim was dismissed for lack of standing considering the drainage districts' limited status under Iowa law. 

This is good news for our state. The lawsuit has been a distraction to the implementation of Iowa's Nutrient Reduction Strategy, which was started in 2013. This favorable outcome will allow Iowa farmers to continue to advance our efforts of improving soil and water conservation without the inflexibility of burdensome regulations. 

As farmers, we want the safest, best quality water for Iowa. We believe a positive, collaborative approach is key to improving our state's water quality. The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and our farmer-members will continue to use cooperation and collaboration in proactively improving our water quality. Through our work with the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, the Soil Health Partnership and our many other partnerships, activities, and programs, we are helping accelerate the adoption of practices outlined in the Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

For more information on how Iowa Corn is leading the way on water quality, go to www.iowacorn.org/water.

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Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds issue statements on dismissal of Des Moines Water Works lawsuit

(DES MOINES) – Today, Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statements in regards to the dismissal of the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit:

Gov. Branstad:

“I’m pleased to see an end to this costly litigation brought about by the Des Moines Water Works.  From the very beginning, we’ve attempted to work in a collaborative way with our partners in the field and our communities to improve water quality in Iowa.  That’s the Iowa way.  Now, we can finally put this distraction behind us and focus on the full implementation of the nutrient reduction strategy.”

Lt. Gov. Reynolds:

“The dismissal of this lawsuit is very welcome news for our farmers, small businesses and communities across Iowa.  We’ve believed all along that this lawsuit was not only the wrong approach, but would hinder the positive progress we’ve made by working collaboratively in addressing water quality through the nutrient reduction strategy.  We look forward to continuing our conversation with the Legislature in the weeks ahead to finalize a plan that will continue to grow our water quality efforts.”

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