New state report lists more than 700 impaired waters in Iowa

By: Cami Koons

Outlets: Iowa Capital Dispatch

Published: February 17, 2026

Words: 890

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago

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The Iowa Department of Natural Resources released a draft version of its 2026 biennial integrated report Tuesday, which listed more than 700 segments of rivers, lakes or wetlands in the state as impaired.

The impaired list looks at retroactive data and determines if a water segment meets, or fails to meet, designated criteria for uses like fishing, recreation or drinking water. Once a segment is listed as impaired, it triggers a restoration process under …

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