|
|
Article: Report: Nitrate levels high in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines water; Amount of fertilizer runoff sets a record in Cedar Rapids
- Article from:
- Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque)
- Article date:
- May 24, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2003 Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
DES MOINES (AP) - Despite heavy rains washing heavy doses of
fertilizer into the Cedar and Raccoon rivers, both Des Moines and
Cedar Rapids have managed to treat and dilute the high-nitrate water
to keep tap water at levels the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
considers safe.
Enough fertilizer has gone into the Cedar River set a record for
nitrates in the source of drinking water for Cedar Rapids, Iowa's
second-largest city.
Levels of the potentially health-threatening nitrates in the
Raccoon River in Des Moines are high, too, but below record levels.
John North, who runs the Cedar Rapids water plant, said nitrates
in the Cedar River hit 14.3 milligrams per liter on May 14, topping
the ...