ATLANTIC, IA (KMTV) — The Nishnabotna Water Defenders celebrated one year of the organization with a meeting on Sunday.
The nonprofit is taking legal action against an Iowa-based agriculture retailer over pollution in the Nishnabotna River.
The organization is suing NEW Cooperative Inc.
"We’re all vulnerable because we all live downstream from someone," attorney Jim Larew said.
KMTV has been following this issue closely. Earlier this March, researchers said that some agriculture-related chemicals that end up in water sources like the Nishnabotna River are linked to cancer. Meanwhile, a recent report ranks Iowa as the second highest in cancer rates nationwide.
About two years ago, Kevin Eicher was looking for a fishing spot along the river with his grandson.
"All we could see up and down the river was dead fish," Eicher said.
Eicher recently became a board member for the Nishnabotna Water Defenders and shared his story at the organization's one-year anniversary meeting on Sunday. He noted that neighbors are no longer able to use the river like they used to.
"I didn’t worry about the fish that I caught, I didn’t worry about swimming in the waters that I swam in. It was pretty much a non-issue growing up," Eicher said.
The organization hopes the Department of Natural Resources will create harsher punishments for companies and individuals caught polluting waterways. In the meantime, the group is encouraging neighbors to help monitor the river. Water testing kits and instructions for how to report pollution were available at Sunday's meeting.
In its first year, the nonprofit raised almost $14,000. The group plans to use the collected funds this year to pay for billboards, litigation, and community outreach.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
