Avoca, Persia, Panama, Portsmouth, Westphalia, Kirkman, Tennant, Earling, Exira, Brayton, and now, Iowa’s largest metro, Des Moines. These are just some of the communities I’ve seen recently with water advisories or restrictions in place.

Given the seriousness of the situation, I’m glad it’s getting attention. Because we’re reaching a breaking point, and in desperate need of a solution. The problem is, nobody seems willing to name the culprit — corporate agriculture and the “get big or get out” mentality that is now polluting our land and water.

Our current, corporate-driven system of farming isn’t working — not for our farmers, the land, or our water. Farmers are expected to tap into unfair and rigged markets, and federal farm programs force farmers to prioritize production over conservation. Add to this that we’re “fueling the world” just as much if not more than feeding the world. About 30% of Iowa’s cropped land is corn used for ethanol. That’s a lot of corn that isn’t being used for food, and it uses billions of gallons of precious groundwater annually. And a heck of a lot of nitrogen fertilizer.

How many more closed beaches will it take? How many boil advisories will it take? How many watering bans will it take? How many new cancers or birth defects will it take? What will it take to get real about the very serious problem we’ve created that is affecting us all?

Lawmakers voted in 2023 to defund the Iowa Water Quality Information System and it’s now running out of money. Our state’s voluntary Nutrient Reduction Strategy isn’t working because, well, it’s voluntary. Rob Sand seems reluctant to address the impacts of corporate ag, and Governor Reynolds sure hasn’t done anything about it for years. Political donations and corporate influence do seem to run deep.

Back in 2015, then Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) CEO Bill Stowe tried to do something about it and Iowa CCI members were in support every step of the way. DMWW had sued drainage districts in three northwest Iowa counties over high nitrate levels in the Raccoon River – Des Moines metro’s primary drinking source. Instead of heeding this clarion call, politicians and power brokers all across Iowa labeled it a war on agriculture, abdicated all responsibility, and once again swept a problem under the rug. And we, rural and urban, continue to pay the price for those in power not listening.

There is another way, but we have to be willing to do something about it. That requires us talking about it – naming the problem, discussing solutions, and coming together to solve it. And it sure would help if our elected officials and candidates, all of them… or any of them, would acknowledge this and be willing to take action. But they’re not.

So I guess it’s up to us regular folk to do it. And I believe we can, because our lives are literally on the line. We can force the people in power to do something about our water crisis and enact policies that create a food and farm system that works for eaters, farmers, workers, and our environment. If not, this won’t be a problem, it’ll be an unmitigated disaster we can’t come back from. The time is now.

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Barb Kalbach is a 4th generation family farmer, retired registered nurse, and board member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. Barb can be reached at

barbnealkalbach@gmail.com.