By Christine Curry and Sarah Spain. Originally published via the Des Moines Register.

There is no alternative to water. Human beings need it to survive. Plants need it to grow. Biologically, there is no other option. 

Yet, the attitude among many is that there is. More than a decade ago, a U.S. government task force pledged to cut nitrate and phosphorus pollution by 45 percent to improve the safety of Midwesterners’ water and to save areas of the Gulf of Mexico, where these nutrients have created a dead zone where wildlife cannot survive.

Although millions of dollars have been spent in nearly every state along the Mississippi River, the dead zone continues to grow – scientists and ecologists predict it’ll grow to its largest size yet this year – and the 45 percent decline has now been pushed back to 2035.

In Iowa alone, the Legislature last year passed a bill to spend $270 million during 12 years; however, the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy report indicates it would cost between $77 million and $1.2 billion a year to put a dent in resolving Iowa’s contributions to the dead zone. The Iowa Environmental Council even called the $270 million allocation an irresponsible use of taxpayer money because it lacks a scientifically proven watershed approach, water quality monitoring or public access to data about Iowa’s water quality. 

Water quality is a tough topic. How do we support our farmers and our agricultural economy, our state’s major livelihood, with the need for clean water and to improve the health of the environment for those of us living today and our future generations?There’s no easy answer. It’s not a popular topic. 

The proof in that lies in the battle former Des Moines Water Works CEO Bill Stowe had with drainage districts in northwest Iowa. DMWW filed a lawsuit that contended the districts sent nitrates from farm fields into the Raccoon River, one of two sources for central Iowans’ drinking water.

Investment in water quality isn’t as popular and doesn’t look as pretty as spending millions of dollars – an estimated $117 million for the Greater Des Moines Water Trails and Greenways Plan, which does include some water-quality education and improvement elements – to bring people to our rivers, streams and lakes. 

Education is the key, as is the open-mindedness to look at alternative solutions that may take time, money and a new way of doing things. It’s making uncommon practices more common.