COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Water is something many of us take for granted, but thousands of Iowa residents have experienced contaminated water and shortages this summer.
WATCH KATRINA'S STORY BELOW
- Regional Water General Manager Tom Kallman says it is now pumping water from Council Bluffs to its customers in eastern Pottawattamie County. That doesn't mean, though, everything's back to normal.
- "Most of the calls in the last couple weeks that we got were from people who were asking if they could fill their pools for the 4th of July and I was the Grinch who basically stole Independence Day because I told them 'no,'" Kallman said.
- Atlantic farmers Denise O'Brien and Larry Harris are teaching neighbors to test the waterways, which ultimately filter into our drinking water systems. They've been concerned since the '70s: "That's when we first came across the term 'blue baby' ... It's when the nitrates rob babies of oxygen," said "O'Brien.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Water: how often do you give it a second thought? For thousands of Iowa neighbors, it isn't something they can take for granted.
I'm Southwest Iowa Neighborhood Reporter Katrina Markel.
For several months now I've been reporting on water quality and water shortages in Iowa.
Tom Kallman: "We're pumping 150 gallons a minute through the temporary booster station..."
Regional Water General Manager Tom Kallman says it is now pumping water from Council Bluffs to its customers in eastern Pottawattamie County. That doesn't mean, though, everything's back to normal.
"Most of the calls in the last couple weeks that we got were from people who were asking if they could fill their pools for the 4th of July and I was the Grinch who basically stole Independence Day because I told them 'no,'" he said.
But Regional Water customers aren't the only Iowans facing water supply and quality problems.
"Just nitrate in our water has been increasing for about 40 years now," said Professor Jason Semprini.
Lower water levels in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers meant higher nitrates in the Central Iowa water supply; a health risk, says Des Moines University professor, Jason Semprini.
"It's concerning when we start to see consistent evidence that there is no safe level of nitrates for pregnant women in their drinking water," he said.
And that's why Atlantic farmers Denise O'Brien and Larry Harris are teaching neighbors to test the waterways, which ultimately filter into our drinking water systems. They've been concerned since the '70s.
"That's when we first came across the term 'blue baby' ... It's when the nitrates rob babies of oxygen," said "O'Brien.
When the water gets low, the concentration of harmful chemicals is higher.
A recent article published by the Iowa Environmental Council points to intensive agricultural practices as a major contributor to the state's water quality problem.
"It's always in the back of your mind," Kallman said.
In the meantime, Kallman says if water levels continue to be good, he hopes Avoca-area customers will have fewer restrictions in the near future.
