History of Water Treatment
Evidence of water treatment dates far back in history. Ancient Egyptian inscriptions describe a wide variety of water purification processes including boiling water, exposing it to sunlight, filtering it through charcoal, or just letting it settle in jugs.More

Disaster!
If you pay attention to the news, you will notice that after a major national disaster anywhere in the world, one of the first concerns is to provide clean drinking water; otherwise, diseases may take hold and create a second disaster.More

Surface Water
Surface waters are constantly moving through the water cycle as they move downstream rivers or evaporate, condense, and precipitate.More

Industrial Wastewater
Consider this scenario: A company puts hot wastewater back into a river, increasing the overall temperature of the river by a few degrees. More

Emerging Contaminants
A rather recent development, emerging contaminants, is just beginning to be studied. Emerging contaminants are new chemicals only recently found in our water supply. More

Hypoxia and the Dead Zone
The Doyle family farms along the Mississippi River in Iowa. Their corn and soybean crops grow in rich river soil, created by centuries of sediment deposited by glaciers and the Mississippi's flood cycles. More

What is a CAFO?
Given the enormous potential for manure to impair water quality, should large animal confinements be allowed to operate?More

Manure Management
is a nice way of talking about one of the dirty jobs of raising livestock–getting rid of animal waste. What do farmers do with it?More

Iowa’s Hog Lots
A hog lot controversy has been brewing for years in Iowa. Hogs create an incredible amount of income in the state, but they also bring the potential for tremendous environmental damage. More

Irrigation
Should land that is naturally too dry for crops be irrigated? What are the benefits and drawbacks? More

Agriculture and Chemical Application
America’s farmers consistently produce enough crops and livestock to feed not only our nation, but also to send food to nations around the world. More

Municipal Applications
What does it take to achieve a lush lawn? A perfectly manicured ballpark? A rolling green golf course? Many times it takes chemicals. More

Genetic Engineering
One expected benefit of genetically engineered crops is the reduced need for pesticides and herbicides. More

BMPs
Best Management Practices (BMPs) are suggestions to landowners on how they can continue to use their land while maintaining the environment. More

Biodegradable Lawn Care
Not all lawn care products contain harmful chemicals. In 1986, Nick Christians, an Iowa State University horticulture professor, discovered that corn gluten kills dandelions and other weeds. More

Hydrologic Modification to Urban Settings
What changes could be made by city planners to protect water quality? More

Urban Development
The very act of development has a huge impact on water quality. More

Nonpoint Source Pollution
What are the sources and effects? More

Hydrologic Modifications to Agricultural Settings
North America looks very different now than it did when the European settlers first arrived. More

Government Programs
Federal programs have been developed to encourage farmers to restore environmentally sensitive acres. More

Fast Facts: An Overview of Wetlands
"The preservation of existing wetlands and the restoration of wetlands, which are both needed, is going to require a partnership between farmers and environmentalists. And it will need to be done on private land if it is to be effective." More

History of Wastewater Management
Serious point source pollution problems in the past forced the EPA to take action. Before the EPA established industrial regulations, many companies disposed of toxic chemicals directly into stream and rivers. More

Jet-skis Banned by the National Park Service
As of April 20^th, 2002, the National Park Service is banning personal watercraft (such as jet-skis) from all but 21 of their 379 national parks, recreation areas, and seashores. More

Birds and Water
Great blue herons are majestic birds that can trace their ancestors back to the time of dinosaurs. How have they survived for so long? More

Fake Lakes and Navigation
Many hydrologic modifications made to rivers in order to support commercial navigation have affected the functions of natural river systems. Dams were constructed to even out the seasonal changes in water flows, creating vast lakes behind them. More