Iowa considers tough groundwater protection

Iowa is close to passing the most comprehensive groundwater pollution control legislation in the country. The Groundwater Protection Bill, which was nearing passage in the House last week, also has considerable support in the Iowa Senate. Other states are watching the Iowa scene closely The bill greatly upgrades the monitoring of groundwater quality, establishes stronger control and cleanup programs, calls for improved underground gasoline storage at service stations, and allocates funds for research on farming methods that bypass heavy chemical inputs. A series of taxes and fees would raise about $8 million for its implementation. The House bill, House File No. 631, has provisions covering pesticides and fertilizers, animal wastes, solid waste management, household products, and underground storage tanks. In the pesticide/fertilizer section, the bill would establish a 1% tax on pesticides, a tax of 50 cents per ton on fertilizers, and a 4% levy on household chemicals. It is estimated that those fees woul...