The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors has been asked to contribute $5,000 a year to the legal team fighting a lawsuit from City of Des Moines Water Works against Drainage districts in Sac, Buena Vista and Calhoun counties.
Des Moines Water Works filed the suit in February, alleging that nitrate runoff from farms in those counties were polluting the Raccoon River with increased nitrate levels. The lawsuit has statewide implications for farmers, drainage districts, and County Boards of Supervisors alike, threatening a costly regulatory burden on those counties and farmers.
“The, suit, while filed against a small number of districts will, if successful, be applicable to all districts in Iowa, and in other states,” said Des Moines County Supervisor Tom Broeker, reading the correspondence sent by the Iowa Drainage District Association during a Tuesday meeting.
The Board of Supervisors will meet with Des Moines County Drainage District Officials to get further insight on how the lawsuit would affect them at a later meeting.
KBUR previously reported that the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors PASSED the resolution during Tuesday’s meaning. This was in error and has been updated.
