(Des Moines)– The Environmental Protection Agency has approved Iowa’s list of impaired waters, a step that will help the state’s Department of Natural Resources set its priorities for improving water quality in coming years.
EPA Administrator Karl Brooks says it’s an important first step toward reducing sources of water pollution in the state and ensuring cleaner water for Iowa residents.
Iowa’s list added 183 bodies of water to previous lists and removed 54, bringing the total number of impaired waters in the state to 434.
Locally, Big Spirit Lake and Center Lake are new additions to the list. A portion of Mill Creek was removed.
Local bodies of water that remain on the impaired list include portions of the Little Sioux, the West Fork of the Little Sioux, the Des Moines and the Ocheyedan Rivers, along with Emerson Bay of West Lake Okoboji, Lost Island Lake and Silver Lake.
