Cleaner, Dirtier, or the Same?

The Upper Basin Chronicles

Chapter 31

Cleaner, Dirtier, or the Same?

"Yow!" exclaimed Laura to Ruthann Garcia, as she finished reading the report. "These folks don't pull any punches." The two friends sat over coffee in downtown Cedar Falls at Cup of Joe. A report on the Clean Water Act from the Natural Resources Defense Council lay on the table between them.

"Yeah," said Ruthann, "I thought that would raise the hair on your neck a bit." She took another sip from the heavy white mug. The faint clunks of these mugs on wooden tables pattered across the room under Saturday morning conversation. A cold rain had filled the coffeehouse with wet customers. The smell of strong roast coffee and cinnamon rolls obscured that of wet clothing and damp heads.

"You know, it's one thing to read about the big picture," Ruthann continued, "but I think we need to start demanding answers at the local level. It's like that McLeod guy from Big River says, 'Just tell me if my water is cleaner, dirtier, or staying the same.' He just keeps saying, 'Show me the data.' I think his county people are starting to listen, and to try to figure it out."

"But, what amazes me," said Laura, "is the out-and-out assault on water quality, as if they think we are all a bunch of sheep, and they can just round us all up for a shearing."

Laura fumed on, "You'd like to believe after Enron, that the administration would back away from allowing radical assault on environmental protection. But, what do they do? Raise a smokescreen on war with Iraq right before an election! Doesn't it make anybody else but me nervous that a bunch of Texas oil men with ties to a bankrupt energy company want to take over a rogue oil-producing nation? Hello?!"

"Wait a minute! People are scared, Laura," said Ruthann. "You've got bad guys killing themselves and innocent people, both here and around the world. We'd be foolish to ignore a very real threat just because we're about to have an election. Democracies have elections all the time. Further, what does Enron have to do with clean water, por favor?

"OK, OK. What I mean is that the almighty corporate devotion to short term profits over long term sustainability affects us in both water politics and global politics," Laura restated. "Take corn and soy bean agriculture, for instance." She paused for another sip of native hazelnut-flavored coffee.

"Would you agree that the present system of Midwestern agriculture is responsible for the city of Des Moines installing the world's largest nitrogen removal water treatment plant?" Laura asked. "Who bears the cost and who benefits from that?"

Ruthann grimaced in assent, and looked over the top of her coffee cup at Laura.

"State of Iowa and Des Moines taxpayers pay for it, and the fertilizer, and finance, and implement, and seed companies, and the biggest operators benefit. Small farmers barely make enough to stay in business with this system, and only survive because federal taxpayers subsidize them. What a mess! Not only do we all pay for a broken system of farming, but we'll also be paying for all the ill health it generates for years to come."

"Hey, girl, you're talking about my livelihood now," Ruthann wagged a half-serious finger at her passionate friend. "You're seeing the big picture, and somebody has to point that out. I take your point. But from where I sit, farmers, and voters, too, are beginning to demand better. There's broken and there's improving. Look at the growth in organic row crop acreage in the state. Look at the group of farmers winning a lawsuit against a big hog confinement violator, their own neighbor near Sac City. That's something!"

"You're right, Ruthann, it's not all bad. I just get impatient when I see the effects of all this on people like Owen Murphy, and read about non-Hodgkin's and high instance of stomach cancer where nitrates in water could be the issue," Laura replied.

"How is Owen, then?" asked Ruthann.

"Alexander says he has bad days and worse days. It's pretty rough. He's almost through this round of chemo, I think," she answered. "I guess he's determined to make it to the election. Wants to vote for Tom Harkin at least one more time."

"So, if all politics are local, we'd better get busy, girl. For your boyfriend's dad's sake then, if not for your children, we ought to be asking if our water's cleaner, or dirtier, or staying the same. I'd really like to know." Ruthann drained the last of her coffee, stood up, and started to leave.

"My children? You mean my school children?" Laura spoke after her.

"Them, too. But no, goofy girl, your own children with Alexander," retorted a grinning Ruthann.

At that remark Laura began chasing her fleeing friend, already out Cup of Joe's front door.

###

Next week...Chapter 32.

Thanks to resources:
Big River Magazine and Editor Reggie McLeod
Natural Resources Defense Council Report: Clean Water at Risk
EPA Surf Your Watershed
USGS National Water Quality Monitoring Day
Scorecard

The Upper Basin Chronicles, Chapter 31 was written and edited by John Gabbert.

Your comments are much appreciated. Email feedback to The Upper Basin Chronicles, Chapter 31.

The characters presented here are purely fictional, and neither bear resemblance to persons living or dead, nor represent the views or opinions of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.