“As Memorial Day nears, many Iowans look forward to a day at a nearby beach. I can remember my folks taking us kids to Lake Ahquabi, along with a picnic lunch of sandwiches or cold fried chicken, way back in the day. Opportunities for a low-stress, low-cost mini-vacation for a family with young children are a wholesome, quality-of-life enhancement, a respite away from screens, stress and the modern non-stop compulsion to be ‘connected.’ And you can’t beat beating the heat and humidity of an Iowa summer with a cool dip. Nothin’ makes the young-ins sleep at night like a day at the beach. But if you’re reading this, I’m sure you know we have a perennial problem at our beaches and that problem is poor water quality. Immersing your body in a lake or stream is primally invigorating, an effect that lingers for several hours, right up until the moment your 8-year-old pukes onto your bed at 3 a.m. while you wonder if the potato salad went bad or if he swallowed some lake water.” - Chris Jones, DWD President. Attached is Chris Jones’ latest substack article, “Pick Your Poison,” about Iowa’s polluted lakes.

DWD Advances Its Programs on Education, Advocacy and Entertainment

We’ve been busy here at Driftless Water Defenders. From Des Moines, where we addressed clean water and health, to Clayton County, where we opposed a mining company’s bid to nearly quadruple groundwater withdrawals, DWD did what effective clean-water advocates do: speak up. Plus, we’re having some fun with a benefit concert, a Clean Water School and an Earth Day table.

The Driftless Water Defenders are presenting a “Clean Water School,” on Saturday, May 17, starting at 9:00 a.m., at the Old School in Highlandville. 

Here’s an unmistakable signal that Driftless Water Defenders is dialing up the magic and gathering the right vibe for its work to keep the region’s water clean. The May 8 benefit concert in Decorah, featuring legendary folksinger Greg Brown and other Iowa artists, sold out just a couple of weeks after tickets went on sale in January. The concert is the first big fund raising event hosted by DWD. It will be held in the Steyer Opera House at the Hotel Winneshiek, and promises to be a memorable night of lyrics and music striking just the right chords for water quality and the public interest.

Join us on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at Parents Hall, Olmsted Center at Drake University or by Live Stream to hear our registered agent and legal counsel, James C. Larew speak about the right to clean water.

Pipelines and agricultural polluters were targets of Driftless Water Defenders’ court actions in February. DWD joined opponents of the Summit Carbon CO2 pipeline who are appealing the Iowa Utility Commission’s (IUC) decision to allow the pipeline’s owners to exercise eminent domain to construct the project.

(Decorah, Iowa) — Today, Driftless Water Defenders (“DWD”), an Iowa non-profit membership corporation focused on water issues in Iowa, filed a federal civil lawsuit against Agri Star Meat & Poultry, LLC for violating the federal Clean Water Act (“CWA”).  

We’re off to a very strong start. We’ve established a comprehensive program of litigation, public engagement, and communications. In just our first eight months, by combining litigation with public engagement, DWD initiated substantive water-protecting legal initiatives on four fronts.

(Decorah, Iowa)—Driftless Water Defenders, an Iowa non-profit membership corporation focused on water issues in Iowa, has issued Agri Star Meat & Poultry, LLC, and Agri Star General, Inc. a Notice of Violations and Intent to Sue Under the Clean Water Act. Agri Star owns and operates the offending agricultural processing facility located in Postville, Iowa. DWD is represented by Public Justice, FarmSTAND, and Larew Law Office.

DECORAH -- In a case that seeks much greater protection for Iowa’s surface and groundwater Driftless Water Defenders (DWD) yesterday filed a citizen complaint with Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR)  to challenge the agency’s rubber stamp approval of water use permits.