DES MOINES, Iowa — water quality and cancer rates have been forced to the forefront of state politics this year, becoming the focus of debate questions, roundtable events and campaign advertisements for candidates from both parties up and down the ballot.
Iowa has the second highest rate of newly diagnosed cancers in the country, with prostate, breast and lung cancer increasing faster than nationally. State-funded University of Iowa research attributes most but not all of the excess for five cancers to demographic and behavioral factors such as smoking and binge drinking, with environmental factors including nitrate levels to be assessed next. Some studies have linked nitrates in drinking water to certain diseases, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not currently classify nitrates as a cancer risk.
The Des Moines area utility once paid roughly $16,000 per day to remove nitrates before suing upstream counties in a complaint ultimately dismissed. Last year Central Iowa Water Works issued its first-ever ban on lawn watering, after Iowa had been investing nearly $100 million annually in its nutrient reduction strategy. In May, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and lawmakers committed an additional $320 million for water infrastructure, conservation incentives and other projects.
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, running against Democrat Josh Turek for U.S. Senate, backs investments in infrastructure, monitoring and conservation while saying tap water meeting federal rules is safe. Hinson said, “I don’t think water quality is a partisan issue.” Gubernatorial rivals Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand both say the state must better prioritize water. Agriculture secretary candidate Chris Jones, a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent Mike Naig, supports mandatory conservation, which Naig opposes.