Des Moines Water Works Lawsuit
Originally broadcast 03/06/2015
Listen here now
Co-hosts Greta Anderson and Gale Seiler explore the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit against Sac, Calhoun and Buena Vista county supervisors in their role as trustees of drainage districts in the watersheds of the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers, the source of the utility's water. We talk to Story County drainage clerk and mapping technician Scott Wall, who explains "drainage districts," a key concept in the lawsuit (we have 119 of them in the county!). Then we speak with John Torbert, executive director of the Iowa Drainage District Association, who consults with legislators in Des Moines on behalf of county supervisors. After a lively interview with Des Moines Water Works CEO and General Manager Bill Stowe, who is a driving force in the lawsuit, we speak with Neil Hamilton, the Dwight D. Opperman Chair of Law and Director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University, who provides analysis of the lawsuit and its implications.
This show was inspired by Iowa's Century Farms, the Iowa Public Television documentary, which Local Talk host Paul Wierson narrated. To represent century farmers we spoke with Ben Wise, who told us how his father, and farming partner, grows organic row crops to keep the soil productive and serve a niche market. Then Marsha Miller told us her memories of growing up on her grandparents' century farm (pictured at left, she holds the original 1848 deed for 160 acres to prove it) and to tell how farmers on that land have kept it productive enough to make a living through succeeding decades. Then we had a lively discussion of the role of folk music in the social life of farmers over that past hundred and fifty years by Marty Miller who is making arrangements for the Harmaleigs' concert on March 11 at the Pantorium, and by Lance Sumpter, who was there to tell us about the music he will feature on his Friday 10:00 PM to 12:00 midnight DJ show, The Blue-collar Philosopher. Only on KHOI.
Pat Schlarbaum, KHOI’s environmental reporter, explains that we are hearing coyotes because their mating season has started. He describes various wild canines returning to our area.
Dennis Keeney was with us to talk about his autobiography "The Keeney Place" which was just released last month. Dennis carried his story from a lively description of the life of a farm boy in the 1940s and 50s through university training in scientific agriculture that led him to become the first director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Cornelia Flora was also in the studio to carry forward reflections about the significance of sustainable agriculture and prospects for the road ahead. Later in the program Erv Klaas joined us to discuss Aldo Leopold and "The Land Ethic," part of the event "Ames Reads Leopold", March 2:00 - 5:00 PM, at the Ames Public Library.
The 