Iowa AG learns about water in Creston

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird turned Creston Waterworks into a classroom Thursday.

They day after a federal judge temporarily blocked a federal rule regarding protection of various bodies of water, Bird toured Creston Waterworks to learn about the municipal water process.

“It was purely an educational visit,” she said from Creston Waterworks’ treatment plant east of town. “Not knowing how it works, we know we always want clean water but we also have to watch if the regulations don’t make sense.”

The judge stopped implementation of Environmental Protection Agency rules because of a lawsuit filed by 24 states that claim the regulations would be a unnecessary challenge on farms and ranches. Iowa is included in the judge’s action. The proposed regulations is also named Waters of The United States.

“We can have good agriculture and clean water at the same time,” she said. “I want to know how this process works.”

Creston Waterworks General Manager Steve Guthrie gave an overview of the operation which provides about 4.5 million gallons of water a day combined for Creston Waterworks and Southern Iowa Rural Water Association.

The meeting also gave Guthrie a chance to inform Bird of the issues Creston Waterworks is facing.

Earlier this month, reports were released about the 9.2 million lead pipes attached to homes in the country according to a Environmental Protection Agency survey that will dictate how billions of dollars to find and replace those pipes. Lead pipes have been linked to various health hazards. The survey was the first time the agency asked about lead pipes and gave the best count yet of how many are underground.

The EPA’s survey of roughly 3,500 water providers also found the country needs to spend $625 billion on drinking water infrastructure over the next two decades, an amount that’s increased sharply in recent years. The biggest need is upgrading water pipes that are too old, broken or in some cases, made of lead.

The EPA also announced states, U.S. territories and tribes will have $6.5 billion to upgrade drinking water infrastructure, with $6 billion of that total coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Guthrie said there are about 240 pieces of lead pipes still in use Creston but he is still looking for confirmation for who is responsible for replacement and cost. He said Creston Waterworks has replaced lead pipes when it is Creston Waterworks’ responsibility.

“And where is the funding going to come from,” he said.

Guthrie said he and his board are researching an extensive water main replacement project which includes replacing infrastructure in places that dates back to the 1890s. Guthrie showed Bird the waterworks’ history of work at virtually every property it services.

The EPA’s drinking water infrastructure survey will be used to steer billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to water infrastructure upgrades like finding and removing lead pipes in states that need it most. Previously, a state’s share of lead pipe funds was based on its general infrastructure need and didn’t consider how many lead pipes the state had.

Lead can cause brain damage and the EPA says no amount is safe for children’s bodies. The Biden administration has set a goal to remove all of the country’s lead water pipes. The $15 billion from the infrastructure law for lead pipe work will significantly help, but it won’t be enough, to solve the problem.

The EPA recently proposed drinking water limits for PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances often called “forever chemicals,” in a push that the agency said will save lives and reduce illness but will require many water providers to install costly treatment systems.

Guthrie said at his board meeting Tuesday, tests on Creston water showed no evidence of “forever chemicals.”

Associated Press contributed to this story