Despite opposition, Des Moines Water Works bill advances in Iowa Senate

Legislation to dismantle the Des Moines Water Works and replace it with a regional water authority was approved Thursday by an Iowa Senate subcommittee after an acrimonious meeting where no one testified in support of the measure.

As the subcommittee hearing ended, several people in the audience chanted, "Kill the bill," and one angry woman shouted, "This smells like Flint, Michigan." The bill was advanced on a 2-1 vote to the Senate Agriculture Committee by a panel composed solely of legislators who are also farmers.

Dane Schumann, a lobbyist for the Des Moines Water Works, told the panel there are already provisions in Iowa law to permit the establishment of a regional water authority. He and other speakers suggested the legislation was clearly drafted in retaliation for the Des Moines Water Works Board filing a federal lawsuit that claims underground tiles in three northwest rural Iowa counties channel high levels of nitrates into the Raccoon River. The utility says it spent about $1.3 million last year to remove nitrates and make the water safe for consumption.

"It is clear to most people in the room that this bill is about one thing. It is about eliminating the lawsuit," Schumann said. The federal lawsuit has been bitterly opposed by Iowa agricultural interests, Republican Gov. Terry Branstad and rural Republican lawmakers.

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/23/des-moines-water-works-bill-advances-iowa-senate-over-opposition/98293482/