• Ambient Water Monitoring Strategy for Iowa: 2016-2021
  • The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Ambient Water Monitoring Program provides consistent, unbiased information about the condition of Iowa’s water resources to support decisions affecting the development, management and protection of these resources. To strengthen its services, the program worked with a variety of stakeholders and other DNR programs to develop a five-year strategy for Iowa’s ambient water monitoring efforts. The strategy identifies opportunities to improve the program’s effectiveness in several categories: monitoring objectives, sampling design, data management, products and services, and program evaluation and coordination. Iowa DNR managers and technical staff will use the new strategy to guide decisions affecting the ambient monitoring program over the next five years. The strategy should also serve as a robust informational resource for stakeholders, policy makers, legislators and the public.

Groundwater

• Annual Summary Data
  • Fiscal Year 2017 Report
  • Fiscal Year 2016 Report
  • Fiscal Year 2015 Report
• 2013 Survey of Iowa Groundwater
  • This survey of 66 public water supply wells looked at a wide range of parameters, including viruses and pharmaceuticals. A plant virus (pepper mild mottle virus) that is considered a possible indicator of human or animal waste was detected at low concentrations in 17% of the wells studied, and caffeine was detected in 25% of the wells. Mixtures of up to 6 pesticides or pesticide degradate compounds were found in some wells. Well vulnerability defined by confining layer thickness was determined to be a good predictor of nitrate and pesticide contamination, but not viruses or pharmaceuticals.