Water Quality in the State of Iowa - Research Paper Example

Water Quality in the of Iowa In every society, it is mandatory to take care of the environment and all its components. This includes ensuring that there is proper disposal of wastes that emanate from domestic premises and industries. Water bodies are an example of areas that are always neglected. The quality of water that we use for domestic purposes and the one that is on the subsurface, that is, the water found on ponds, streams and other small bodies and is used for activities such as swimming or fishing has to be of proper quality. This is to ensure that it is not hazardous. Various state water departments in the United States strive to ensure that the quality of water being used within their states is high. The Iowa Water Department is an example of this. This paper will be a discussion of water quality in the state of Iowa, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages involved in this topic, together with areas where it can be utilized. The aspect of water quality focuses on household, commercial and the environmental aspect of water. In the state of Iowa, there is the Iowa Water Quality Association whose goal is to help its members provide better water treatment and protect the environment in which they are associated with (Iowa Water Quality Association, p. 1). This is in a bid to ensure that the quality of water that people use is good and that the environment is protected. To ensure that this is done, various industries that provide water treatment services have to focus on the health needs of the people that may come into contact with the water that they have treated (Iowa Water Quality Association, p. 1). Therefore, any ingredients that they use to purify water should be human friendly, at the same time; these ingredients should not have any adverse effects to the environment. To ensure that this is achieved to the latter, there is a code of ethics that has to be followed by all industrial associations that are involved in any kind of water treatment in the state of Iowa. In addition to these, there are formal studies that are offered to these groups about water quality alternatives. Consumers are provided with various types of systems so that they can choose the one that they deem fit for their water conditioning services. Variety is provided due to different consumers’ needs (Iowa Water Quality Association, p. 1). Septic systems are also regulated. There may be occasions where the piping system for water meant for domestic use lies hand in hand with the one for the septic system. Therefore, there are strict guidelines to ensure that contamination does not occur to water that is meant for domestic use in case of any leakages in the septic systems (Iowa Water Quality Association, p. 1). This is to ensure that the water being used for domestic purposes is pure and of good quality. To ensure that all aspects of water quality are enhanced, the department of natural bodies is in place. This looks after the wellbeing of the natural occurring water bodies. These include streams that are sometimes used for boat riding by individuals and ponds that are used for fishing. Since this area are widely visited by families enjoying their free time, it is necessary that the quality of water that is there is good (Iowa Department of Natural Resources, p. 1). Therefore, this department visits such bodies often to ensure that there are no any harmful pathogens. There is the possibility that some industrial waste is released to streams, this could be harmful to the animals that stay in water as well as to the various plants that form the water body biodiversity. These wetlands are inspected regularly to ensure that they are safe. Despite the fact that the quality of water within the state of Iowa is generally good, there is still some form of threat. Small portions of water in the state of Iowa have serious pollution problems (Dillard, p. 1). This mostly emanates from industrial wastes. However, the state tries to ensure that such cases are minimal through constant evaluation and monitoring of water quality state. Generally, a study on water quality in the state of Iowa braces us with some advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages that are associated with this topic is that, when there is focus on the quality of water at a particular place, any mishaps will always be realized early enough and there will be remedies put in place to alleviate the problem. Health of human beings together with the well being of the environment through protection of the natural sources is mandatory. This ensures sustainability of the environment. Therefore, focusing on the quality of water will ensure that all this is achieved. Another advantage is that proper policies will be put in place to ensure that all areas that pertain to water are well governed. The disadvantage that the various departments concerned with preserving the quality of water in Iowa face is lack of funding. Despite the fact that the citizens strive to do what they can to ensure that water bodies are safe, the policymakers do not divert enough funds to Iowa’s waters (Dillard, p. 1). This is despite the fact that they are aware of rivers having nitrate deposits. More sensitization, especially from the national level needs to e done to ensure that there is improvement in water quality in the state of Iowa. Another problem that is encountered is the struggle to ensure the policies that are put in place to ensure that industrial plants dealing with water treatment are followed. Some plants do not provide services to the standards that are required in a bid to save on costs. Most industries use poor products which do not produce the desired results. These are the disadvantages that are encountered in the state of Iowa as it struggles to ensure there is high quality of water. The question of water quality in the state of Iowa can be researched in various ways. Environmentalists can test for the presence of nitrates or other minerals in the waters of Iowa. This is through various projects that are carried out to address water quality problems. A certain project area is identified by environmentalists. A small amount of water is taken from the area as a sample. This is then deeply analyzed so as to ascertain the possible problem that may be affecting the water. These studies may be carried out based on the water treatment practices that are employed, for example, presence of nitrate on the samples is checked to ascertain its percentage (Rajagopal, p. 422). These projects are always in partnership with the government and thus elicit a lot of support from the community (Morton, p. 7). After the problem has been ascertained and the possible remedy found out, there may be public information and education programs so that people can be educated on ways that they would use to prevent the contamination from happening again. Another research area is on the point at which contamination occurs. Sometimes, it is not possible to ascertain the exact point at which surface and ground waters are contaminated (Rajagopal, p. 416). This is due to the fact that water, most of the time goes through various stages before it is utilized for domestic purposes. In case of a stream or river, the water is flowing but there is the exact point at which contamination occurs and the preceding area gets affected. As a result of this, research is always carried out on samples taken from different points of water to ascertain where contamination occurred and the possible cause. This research helps a great deal in improving water quality in the state of Iowa, although it seems that a lot more needs to be done, this has been instrumental in protecting the state’s water sources. Works Cited Dillard, Chastity. Water Quality advocates say policymakers are not diverting enough funds to Iowa’s Waters. The Daily Iowan. 8th Marc, 2012. Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Water Quality in the State of Iowa. Retrieved on 1st April 2012 from http://www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/RegulatoryWater/WaterQualityStandards.aspx (2012) Iowa Water Quality Association. The Iowa Water Quality Association. Retrieved on 1st April 2012 from http://www.iowawqa.org/ (2012) Morton, Lois. Pathways for getting to Better Water Quality: The Citizens Effect. New York: Springer. (2010). Rajagopal. Large Data Bases and Regional Ground-Water Quality Assessments- An Iowa Case Study. Las Vegas, Nevada: Environmental Protection Agency. (2007. Read More