News

Des Moines Water Works’ lawsuit delayed

The Raccoon River flows near Sac City, Iowa

The Raccoon River flows near Sac City, Iowa

The trial to decide Des Moines Water Works’ nutrient runoff lawsuit against several upstream agriculture drainage districts has been delayed until mid-2017.

The trial was originally scheduled for this August, but a district judge has pushed it back to June 26th of next year.

According to the Des Moines Register, the case was delayed due to court conflicts and a request to the Iowa Supreme Court to determine whether the drainage districts can be sued for damages.

The Des Moines utility sued ten drainage districts in Calhoun, Buena Vista and Sac counties a year ago. It alleged underground drainage tiles are dumping high levels of nitrates from farm fields into the Raccoon River, one of two sources of drinking water for Des Moines. The utility says it spent about one-point-five million dollars last year to remove nitrates that exceed federal drinking water standards.

The counties are seeking to have the suit dismissed, arguing that the drainage districts contribute little to the high nitrate levels the utility has been forced to remove.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!