Marianne Murchison joined the Iowa Water Center as an intern from University of Missouri Columbia Masters of Public Health Policy and Promotion program in June 2016. Her background is in Political Science, Nonprofit Management and Public Health Policy. Since 2013, she has been supporting conservation efforts of the USDA NRCS in Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma. She hopes to merge her education and experience to positively impact how the public views water quality and conservation as a public health issue.
“Drinking water supply is multidisciplinary.” – P. Barry Butler. These were the opening remarks for University of Iowa Public Policy Drinking Water Symposium titled Iowa’s Drinking Water: Could Flint Happen Here? held on June 17th 2016 in Des Moines. Throughout the day, speakers elaborated on their areas of expertise concerning Iowa’s drinking water concerns. Topics covered included: supply and demand (mainly making sure we price the commodity accurately), Lessons that Iowa can learn from the Flint, Michigan water crisis, exploration of the technology and innovation that are poised to revolutionize the drinking water industry, Iowa’s agricultural and natural threats to its drinking water supply and the best way to use policy to protect Iowa’s Drinking Water. Each topic further elaborated on how complex an issue access to safe water resources is in the state and beyond.
The overarching message was that Iowa’s drinking water concerns are environmental and public health problems. Framing safe drinking water as a public health necessity brings everyone together around this issue. While there were various opinions of how to protect and improve Iowa’s water resources were discussed, what was not up for debate was that if nothing is done, Flint-like problems could hit vulnerable water resources and aging infrastructure in Iowa and beyond. Everyone is part of the problem we all must be part of the solution. Iowans and water quality experts need to own their responsibility to solve and prevent water quality issues and, in Gandhi’s words, “be the change we want to see in the world” . . . of water.
Comment below and tell us what part you play in a sustainable future for Iowa’s drinking water.