Safe Water Iowa

How Iowa's Water Got Here

Safe Water Iowa

Published on: 23/04/2026

How a century of tile drainage, fertilizer runoff, and a 60-year-old federal safety standard turned Iowa's rivers into one of the most nitrate-contaminated systems in the country — and what families can do at the tap.

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Blue Baby Syndrome, Cancer, and Iowa's Water: The Health Risks of Nitrate Exposure

Safe Water Iowa

Published on: 16/03/2026

Iowa's 10 mg/L nitrate standard was set to prevent blue baby syndrome in infants. But new research links nitrates to cancer, birth defects, and thyroid disease at levels far below the legal limit.

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Iowa's Nitrate Problem: What Des Moines Families Need to Know About Their Drinking Water

Safe Water Iowa

Published on: 05/03/2026

Iowa's drinking water hit dangerous nitrate levels in 2025, triggering the first-ever lawn watering ban for 600,000 central Iowans. Here's what's in your tap water and what you can do about it.

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