Letters to the Editor: Stop taking Iowa’s water supply for granted

I’m a long-time resident of Des Moines and a member of lowa Citizens for Community Improvement. I’m very concerned about our water supply and water allocation process. This process needs to balance the needs of all water users in this state, not just those with political influence.

We lowans need clean and sufficient water to sustain our lives and the natural world we depend upon. We’ve taken our water for granted. We can’t do that anymore, and our water permitting process needs to reflect this. This is why I’m opposed to water use permits for Summit Carbon Solutions.

Ever-increasing commercial interests are creating demand for our water supply and its quality. We’re on a path to draining our aquifers. With climate change, it's likely we'll experience more droughts.

Those of us who don’t have the resources to lobby our state legislators are depending on the DNR to consider the water needs of all lowans and use the best science available; to determine not only the benefits to the applicant, but the costs to the public, such as degraded water quality, aquifer draining, lost recreational opportunities and biodiversity reduction.

Stated on the DNR Water Allocation & Use webpage, “All waters, both surface and groundwater, are public waters and public wealth of lowa citizens.

We can no longer take our water supply for granted. The public needs to understand the significant costs to the quality and supply of their water when we allow private profits to be prioritized over public good. Rushing through water permits for Big Ag is unacceptable. Please email Michael.Andersen@dnr.iowa.gov and Carmily.Stone@dnr.iowa.gov and tell them this.

Jean O’Donnell, Des Moines

GOP offers ‘mindless twaddle’ on Trump trial

Iowans understand the literal meaning of Will Rogers’ pithy advice to always drink upstream from the herd. We also understand its broader implications, never more appropriate than now. Metaphorically, drinking upstream means seeking sources of information to form our own opinions — not consuming BS.  

But BS is what Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa’s entire Washington contingent served up immediately after Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts last week in a New York state court.

If Iowa’s politicians were really the leaders they purport to be, they would explain the reasons for their disagreement with the verdict (there are valid ones). They would give us credit for intelligence enough to understand the case from both sides. Instead, they offered mindless twaddle like “sham trial” and “politically motivated,” which sabotage the democratic foundation of our government and endanger the lives of the judge, jury, prosecutors and witnesses — all of whom have been courageous enough to participate in this effort to ensure due process for all of us.  

Here is an antidote to this BS:  Eric Levitz’ May 31 online article in VOX — “The Best — and Worst — Criticisms of Trump’s Conviction.”  It’s refreshing.  You just might acquire a thirst for it.  

Karen Heidman, Sioux City