Iowa Rural Drinking Water Survey Is Topic of Webinar

Learning Farms webinar will focus on drinking water survey

January 22, 2021, 12:31 pm | Hilary Pierce

AMES, Iowa – An Iowa Learning Farms webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at noon will feature preliminary results from a survey about rural Iowa’s drinking water quality.

Among the greatest challenges associated with annual row crop production in the region are its impacts on water quality. Little is known about the degree to which rural residents are exposed to unsafe drinking water, what efforts rural residents take to avoid possible exposure, and how information provision might improve the welfare of rural residents.

Gabriel Lade, assistant professor of economics, Macalester College, will present preliminary results from a drinking water survey conducted by a team at Iowa State University, aiming to fill this knowledge gap and discuss future research directions.

Gabriel Lade.“Residents across midwestern states have raised important questions related to the quality of their drinking water,” said Lade. “Surveys like this represent one of the best tools we have to learn more about these concerns and the value of public policies that aim to improve rural residents’ lives.

“The biggest preliminary takeaway from our findings is that we need to better inform residents about the importance of testing their water quality,” he continued.

Lade is an applied economist, studying environmental policies and pollution in the agricultural and energy sectors.

Webinar Access Instructions

To participate in the live webinar, shortly before 12 p.m. CST on Jan. 27, click the following URL, or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172

Or, go to https://iastate.zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 364 284 172. Or, join from a dial-in phone line by dialing +1 312-626-6799 or +1 646-876-9923; Meeting ID: 364 284 172.

The webinar will also be recorded and archived on the ILF website, so that it can be watched at any time.

About Iowa Learning Farms

Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a Culture of Conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable.

Partners of Iowa Learning Farms include the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources (USEPA section 319) and GROWMARK, Inc.

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