The Problem
Iowa faces the second highest and fastest-growing cancer incidence rate in the United States, driven in significant part by chronic exposure to environmental contaminants, specifically high nitrate levels and agricultural chemical runoff in municipal water supplies and rural private wells. Impact on People, Animals, & Environment: People: Protects pregnant mothers, infants, and rural communities from long term exposure to carcinogenic nitrates and synthetic chemicals by modernizing the drinking water advisory threshold to 5.0 mg/L. Environment & Soil: Restores soil biodiversity and reduces synthetic anhydrous ammonia reliance by funding leguminous, nitrogen-fixing cover crops (clover, vetch) through Iowa Code § 161A.73. Animals/Ecosystems: Minimizes aquatic toxicity and agricultural runoff into river ecosystems, safeguarding local aquatic habitats and wildlife.
