Drainage districts, once the target of a Des Moines Water Works lawsuit, could be part of the solution to cut high nitrate levels in Iowa's lakes, rivers and streams, according to a new report.

 

Iowa's 3,700 drainage districts already have power under state law to "mitigate pollution discharge" since they're "presumed to be a public benefit" that contribute to "public health, convenience and welfare," according to the Iowa Policy Project, an Iowa City research group.

 

“Public health and welfare can and should be interpreted to mean keeping our waterways free of nitrate pollution,“ the report stated.

 

But some experts disagree. They say drainage districts don't have the legal power to pay for projects beyond draining farm fields.

 

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