Rolland Schnell, President of the Iowa Soybean Association has said that Friday’s Iowa Supreme Court decision that rejected the key claims of the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit bodes well for everyone in Iowa who is serious about improving water quality. The lawsuit brought against the drainage districts in Sac, Calhoun and Buena Vista Counties sought damages to cover costs they say were incurred in removing nitrates from water treated out of the Raccoon River. The lawsuit would have set a precedent on supervisors from those drainage districts being held liable for the naturally occurring and farmer produced nitrates in the water. Schnell said, “As predicted, the litigation advanced by Des Moines Water Works has diverted critical time and money from strategies and practices proven to have a positive impact on water quality. It has divided Iowans, reflected poorly on our state and done nothing to make Iowa’s water cleaner.” Shnell went on to say the Iowa soybean farmers will remained focused on real solutions to water quality including conservation practices such as watershed planning, reducing tillage, increasing cover crop plantings and targeting installation of conservation practices where they have the most impact on the quality of our rivers, lakes and streams.
