Storm Lake Times Pilot

Iowa’s water trails: A deluded investment



An article from 2018 introducing The Central Iowa Water Trails project boasted a vast eight-acre water trail recreation park spanning various bodies of water around the Des Moines metro. The project entails renovating three major dams and the $117 million plan is to be funded by private and public funds, with $17 million already raised.

A recent decision by the Zoning Board of Adjustments moved the Water Trails project forward. While the project is estimated to generate more than $100 million in tourism dollars within the first five years, perhaps we should pause and consider if kayakers, paddlers, surfers, rock-climbers and yes, zip-liners, should expose themselves to water that reportedly exceeded safe E. coli levels last year. In addition, we should examine how engineers and proponents of the Water Trails project anticipate combatting a river that has recently fallen below three feet due to excessive drought. This, among other effects on water levels that are a result of climate change in Des Moines, where the primary power provider, MidAmerican Energy, and several council members oppose 100% clean energy by 2030. And while E. coli isn’t necessarily always pathogenic, its presence can indicate the co-presence of other fecal organisms that are likely to be pathogens for most people.

I’ll admit, a unique opportunity for water recreation exists near the Scott Street Dam. However, it sits just downstream from the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon River, the latter winding its way through about 30 miles of farmland to the north and west.

The incredibly complex water pollution problem lies in the watersheds upstream, along many acres of farmland subject to manure run off. Will the water quality be regularly monitored on the Water Trails and if so, how will contaminants be mitigated when E. coli levels are deemed unsafe? What impact will intermittently shutting down the new Water Trails have on the projected tourism revenue? Just last August, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources closed at least 10 beaches. Those who grew up in Iowa, like myself, have seen beaches and bodies of water across the state closed due to E. coli during summer months of peak heat, likely when the new Water Trails would be frequented.

While I’m not opposed to inviting growth to our local economy in a new and innovative way, I think it’s naïve, if not ignorant, to focus narrowly on water recreation without hardly addressing the preceding problem: water conservation. We have a water quality problem in Iowa and I expect there are few who would disagree that there is room for improvement. Yet, past efforts to address the problem have largely been insignificant. So, why are we suddenly considering spending millions of public dollars so that we can paddle in polluted water a few months out of the year?

Jay Kasperbauer is an Iowa-born advocate for social justice who presently resides in Des Moines. He recently debuted a fiction novel, “Perlie,” addressing race and recidivism. His forthcoming novel further explores racial disparities and is set to be released in the summer of 2021.