Clean Water and Farm Pollution Lawsuit

This video discusses a lawsuit claiming that farm runoff is harming Iowa’s water supply.

Possible Guiding, Compelling and/or Anchoring Questions

• How does farming runoff affect our water?
• How can we prevent runoff from farming?
• How are people and other living things affected by water pollution?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

• Research and define the causes and effects of water pollution from agricultural runoff.
• Identify stakeholders in the situation and their wants and needs.
• Have a debate around the issue while taking the roles of different stakeholders.
• Determine the criteria that would define a fair solution to the problem of agricultural runoff contaminating the water supply.
• Define the environmental, health, cost and economic constraints that limit possible solutions.
• Research where their own water supply comes from and model how it might be affected by agricultural runoff.
• Speak with local water officials and/or farmers about how they handle possible pollution.

Related Resources

• Iowa Department of Natural Resources: Water Quality: Teacher background on the state’s water quality programs.
• Des Moines Register: Iowa to Report More Than 800 Water Impairments in New Report to EPA: News article on the state of Iowa water quality in 2019.
• National Geographic: The Simple River-Cleaning Tactics That Big Farms Ignore: 2017 article on possible solutions and their prevalence in Iowa.
• Des Moines Register: In the Cross Hairs: Iowa Farmers Frustrated by Water Lawsuit: News article from early in the lawsuit’s history.