Trump's EPA rescinds impaired listing for Des Moines, Raccoon rivers amidst water crisis

Trump EPA rescinds Biden-era decision to expand Iowa’s impaired waters list

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its previous decision to add seven segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters due to their high nitrate concentrations.

Trump EPA rescinds Biden-era decision to expand Iowa’s impaired water list

A very full Raccoon River flows under a bridge at Walnut Woods State Park in West Des Moines, June 25, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its previous decision to add seven segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters due to their high nitrate concentrations.  In November the agency decided the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ list of impaired waters only “partially” met th…

Amidst Water Crisis, EPA Rescinds Iowa Impaired Waters Listings

Des Moines, IA — Today, news broke that EPA has rescinded its November 2024 decision to add seven new impaired waterways to Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ 2024 303(d) Impaired Waters List. The EPA had found that Iowa’s major urban drinking water supplies, including segments of the Cedar, Des Moines, Iowa, Raccoon, and South Skunk Rivers are acutely contaminated with levels of toxic nitrates that exceed federal safety thresholds. This summ…

Trump's EPA rescinds impaired listing for Des Moines, Raccoon rivers amidst water crisis

Iowa DNR opposed Biden EPA deciding Des Moines, Raccoon, other river segments were impaired. Trump EPA rescinded the decision during water crisis.