The New York Times visited Iowa to weigh in on Des Moines Water Works’ lawsuit against three northwest Iowa counties over nitrate pollution. Here’s an excerpt: “The flat, endless acres of black dirt here in northern Iowa will soon be filled with corn and soybean seeds. But as farmers tuned up their tractors and waited for the perfect moment to plant, another topic weighed on their minds: a lawsuit filed in federal court by the state’s largest water utility. After years of mounting frustration, the utility, Des Moines Water Works, sued the leaders of three rural Iowa counties last month. Too little has been done, the lawsuit says, to prevent nitrate from flowing out of farm fields into the Raccoon River and, eventually, into the drinking water supply for roughly 500,000 Iowans. The suit seeks to make farmers comply with federal clean-water standards for nitrate that apply to factories and commercial users, and requests unspecified damages.” 

 To read a Business Record Insider’s guide to the Water Works lawsuit, click here.