The President’s Message
Jon Martens – President, Iowa Ground Water Association
First and foremost I need to thank the Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) Board of Trustees, General Manager, and the water department employees for allowing me the opportunity to serve on the Iowa Groundwater Association (IGWA) Board. I have been working in the water business since March of 1981 and am currently the Director of Water Operations for AMU. I have been a member of IGWA for over 20 years and have also been very active in many other associations during the past several years.
As a utility that receives its water from groundwater, IGWA is a great source of information and has several members that are very knowledgeable in groundwater activities and groundwater protection. Over the last couple years I have attended my first IGWA meetings and have found them to be very informative. Like any other professional organization, the sharing of knowledge and networking are both a critical part of becoming a better professional for all of us.
The State of Iowa is making changes in the Iowa Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan. Even though compliance with the plan is not mandatory, we are taking small steps in the right direction to help reduce nitrate in groundwater as well as surface waters. Some of us would argue that this needs to be mandatory. We as an organization of groundwater professionals need to speak up and be heard about the concerns we have with this issue.
On March 11, 2014 IGWA and the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC) hosted a symposium on the connection of groundwater and public health. The conference provided experts, informed presentations and networking opportunities to better understand the prevalence of groundwater contaminants (nitrate, pesticides, arsenic, etc.) and resulting health effects in Iowa. Recent statewide projects looking at private well arsenic levels and public well virus levels were highlighted, as well as presentations on similar projects from neighboring Midwestern states. The presentations are available on the IGWA website at www.igwa.org.
