Like many members of our community, I appreciated the time that our state representatives spent with their constituents at the Washington County Hospital & Clinics on Feb. 9. I was, however, disappointed in responses to the conservation issues (water quality, pesticide-related illness, and factory farms) that were raised by attendees.

Agriculture is the economic driver of our state and my extended family farmed for generations in northeast Iowa; nevertheless, agriculture shouldn’t be immune from regulation. We have high cancer rates, above average respiratory disease, and fish kills and dead zones that limit access to recreational activities including Lake Darling.

These problems affect the quality of our lives as well as state and local budgets.

The New Clean Water for Iowa Act, introduced this year in the state legislature, would help address problems with water quality. The legislation requires all medium and large concentrated animal feeding operations (not just the current four percent) to acquire Clean Water Act permits, to bring the industry’s pollution controls in line with other industrial sectors in Iowa and should be championed by our state representatives.

Unfortunately, the legislation that was advanced this week by an Iowa Senate subcommittee allows livestock feedlots to spread manure in fields without the approval of state regulators in certain situations.

Again, while I appreciate the willingness of Heather Hora and Dawn Driscoll to meet with the Washington County community, their reluctance to support legislation like the Clean Water Act of Iowa is distressing.

D.M. Gottlob

Kalona