Editorial: Aquifer study

One of the best things the Iowa Legislature did this year was appropriate $250,000 to study the state’s declining underground aquifers, starting with the Dakota Aquifer that underlies Northwest Iowa and serves as our principal water source. Legislators said they are concerned about increasing consumption brought by data centers that require lots of water. Interesting that the Jordan and Dakota aquifers were dropping long before Microsoft even thought about Iowa, thanks to huge thirst from ethanol and livestock production.

The Iowa Geological Survey will begin to assess the capacity of the state’s four aquifers. Some modeling has been done on the Dakota, which found that the pocket shared by Storm Lake and Cherokee is near its production limit. This is an ethanol and livestock center, and it is apparent that we cannot handle a whole lot more.

Aquifer modeling is an expensive proposition, and this appropriation does not reflect the urgency that water demands. It makes sense that the authorities start where they have more complete data, and in counties where the Dakota has dropped more than 10%. The legislature should devote more resources to water availability and quality, but this is at least a start.

“As we go forward, it is going to be more critical we know what (water) we’ve got and what depth it is,” Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-Dewitt, chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Committee, told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “There are a lot of unknowns out there.”

For example: We don’t really know how much more industrial expansion, and what kind, Storm Lake and Cherokee can accommodate. We aren’t sure how regional water systems tapping into the Dakota are influencing our supply. As scientists examine causes of aquifer decline, they no doubt will study how expanded drainage systems hamper aquifer recharge by moving surface water away. These are complicated questions on a landscape so radically altered in a short span of time.

They demand fast and comprehensive answers. Good that the legislature is finally paying attention.