Iowa’s 1st District: Bohannan’s plan for farm runoff and PFAS

As Iowa’s 1st Congressional District faces a crisis of contaminated drinking water, Democratic nominee Christina Bohannan says she would prioritize reducing contaminants while providing farmers with resources to improve water quality if elected to Congress.

Why water is on the ballot

Concerns in Iowa continue to grow over the health effects of contaminated drinking water from agricultural runoff. Iowa has the nation’s second-highest rate of new cancer diagnoses, according to the Iowa Cancer Registry at the University of Iowa.

The center says nitrate contamination in drinking water, primarily from agricultural runoff and wastewater discharges, has been linked in research to several cancers at levels below the federal drinking water standard. Contaminated water can include radon, nitrates, pesticides and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes called “forever chemicals.” 

Bohannan, an environmental engineer and former University of Iowa law professor, is challenging Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. Her environmental platform calls for federal government action to reduce PFAS and other chemicals in water, alongside incentives for farmers to adopt practices that reduce pollution.

“We know that cancer is often linked to nitrates and PFAS chemicals in the water, as well as other causes,” Bohannan told The Gazette in August.

Incentives, not mandates

Bohannan’s plan emphasizes financial assistance rather than imposing new costs on farmers. She proposes increasing federal resources and incentives for farmers to establish buffer zones around waterways, helping block pollutants from entering streams and rivers. She also supports expanding the use of cover crops, which can reduce runoff and help sequester carbon.

“Supporting our family farms and protecting our environment are not mutually exclusive,” Bohannan says on her website.

She argues that the government should work with farmers and business owners to improve water quality, particularly as agricultural producers face rising input costs and uncertainty from tariffs and trade disputes. She favors investments to help farmers implement conservation measures rather than what she describes as unfunded mandates.

Her platform does not mention specific legislation or funding to reduce PFAS and other chemical contamination. Bohannan did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. 

What voters say

Public opinion research suggests water quality is a significant concern among Iowa voters. A survey by Global Strategy Group from February, commissioned by Food & Water Action, a lobbying organization that endorses Bohannan, found that 72% of registered voters said rising cancer rates were a very serious problem, compared with 61% who said the same about the cost of living. The survey also found 58% of registered voters considered water quality and pollution a very serious problem facing the state.

Among respondents registered to vote in the 1st District, 86% supported mandatory requirements for industrial agriculture to reduce pollution, with support spanning Democrats, independents and Republicans. The firm surveyed 600 registered voters starting Jan. 28, and the survey has a margin of error of +/-4.0%.

Her record in the Iowa House

While in the Iowa House, Bohannan cosponsored a bill, which would have placed a moratorium on building or expanding confinement feeding operations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Animal feeding operations can cause water contamination from runoff, especially after flooding. Water contamination can be more intense from farms using confinement feeding operations. However, the bill did not advance to a floor vote in the GOP-led legislature.

Bohannan has previously supported water-testing measures during her time in the Iowa’s House. In 2021, she sponsored HF 594 that would require annual lead testing in water systems serving child care facilities and schools. It also died in committee in the GOP-led House.

Miller-Meeks’ record on PFAS

Meanwhile, during her time in Congress, Miller-Meeks voted against the PFAS Action Act of 2021, which would have expanded the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate the chemicals. During debate, she raised concerns that the legislation could expose water utilities, wastewater facilities, farmers and other entities to liability for contamination they did not cause. The House passed the bill 241-183, but the Senate took no further action after referring the bill to committee.

When asked by The Gazette, Miller-Meeks said that while she supports reducing runoff, the state’s increasing cancer rates cannot just be attributed to water contamination.

“It’s not as simple as people are trying to make it out to be,” she said in August.

Heartland Signal reached out to Miller-Meek’s campaign for comment but received no reply.