PLANS UNDER WAY FOR 1997 "YEAR OF WATER"
AMES-Fresh off a year-long commemoration of the state's 150th birthday,
Iowans can keep celebrating through 1997 as efforts gear up to recognize
next year for the "Year of Water."
The statewide recognition by government, business, nonprofit organizations,
and citizens began as a tribute to the 10-year anniversary of Iowa's
Groundwater Protection Act, according to Dennis Keeney, director of the
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, one of the organizations
created by that act. Iowa's groundwater law is still considered a model
for other states seeking to implement water protection initiatives.
The celebration was extended from groundwater to all water resources,
Keeney explained, "because ground, surface and atmospheric water are
interconnected." Partners on the Year of Water committee include regional,
state, and federal governments; state and local nonprofit groups; and
farm, commodity, and trade organizations.
Iowa's Groundwater Protection Act established a framework to prevent
pollution from a range of sources including agricultural activities, solid
waste landfills, underground storage tanks, and commercial and household
hazardous waste.
"The Iowa General Assembly and Gov. Terry Branstad were visionary in
establishing the act," said Keeney. "The impact of this law has been
multiplied by a host of voluntary initiatives throughout the state on the
part of government and nonprofit organizations as well as individuals."
Not only will the Year of Water work to raise awareness of the state's
unique water resources, it also will help identify future opportunities to
protect and enhance water resources, Keeney said.
He encourages Iowa organizations, businesses, and communities that have
been involved in protecting Iowa's water resources to participate in the
Year of Water celebration.
A Year of Water clearinghouse will provide information about events and
activities. Plans are under way for a kickoff event early in 1997, a
listing of successful Iowa water protection efforts, and materials for use
in regional and local events.
For more information, or to participate in the 1997 Year of Water campaign,
contact: Eldon C. Weber, Year of Water Coordinator, Iowa State University,
217 Curtiss Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011.
Phone: (515) 294-0893
Fax : (515) 294-0530
e-mail: yearofwater@www.ag.iastate.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/yearofwater/
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NOTE TO EDITORS
Here is a list of organizations who are participating in the Year of Water
celebration as of July 30, 1996:
Agribusiness Association of Iowa
Cedar River Festival
Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination
Clean Water Alliance for the Protection of the Iowa Great Lakes
Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District
Iowa Agricultural Youth Institute
Iowa Association of Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners
Iowa Chapter, Soil and Water Conservation Society
Iowa Department of Agriculture &Land Stewardship
Iowa Department of Education
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Iowa Division, Izaak Walton League of America
Iowa Environmental Council
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
Iowa Great Lakes Clean Water Project
Iowa Groundwater Association
Iowa Lakeside Laboratory
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
Iowa Rural Water Association
Iowa Soybean Association
ISU College of Agriculture & Information Office
ISU Extension Service
ISU President's Office
Iowa State Water Resources Research Institute
Iowa Waste Reduction Center
Iowa Water Pollution Control Association
Iowa Water Well Association
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
National Soil Tilth Laboratory
Office of the Governor
University of Iowa Hygienic Lab
University of Okoboji
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Nonpoint Source Division
U. S. Geological Survey