A lawsuit by the Des Moines water utility could change the way the farming industry mitigates its environmental impacts.
"Des Moines Water Works sent an intent to sue to three neighboring counties with high nitrate levels in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers," reports Liz Core. "The utility is fed up with filtering nitrate out of drinking water — it spent $900,000 on the issue in 2013. And the lawsuit just might finally make a difference in a nationwide issue that has been unregulated and out-of-control for years."
The article includes more detail on why nitrate is harmful and how the government currently supports farmers in reducing the impacts of nitrates. According to Core, the lawsuit would introduce a new level of liability for farmers in maintaining the quality of drinking water downstream from their farms.
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