Clean Water Program Reports

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Executive Summary

Iowans are concerned about our air and water quality, especially with regard to industrial livestock operations. Policy makers created the Master Matrix in 2002 to help protect our air and water from these operations. The matrix is a list of questions used to assess the potential impacts of a proposed confinement on air, water, and nearby communities. The matrix questions could help mitigate or eliminate air and water quality impacts of proposed confinements.

New data from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) highlights that in practice, over the last five years, the matrix has not helped to solve our water and air quality problems. The passing score, set at 50%, is far too easy to obtain—only a few of the 272 applications submitted have failed to obtain this score. Most applicants skip the questions and do not adopt the practices that were intended to protect our air, water, and nearby communities. For example, no applicant has agreed to construct an emergency containment area to contain manure spills that would help prevent fish kills.

We need to change Iowa’s policies to better protect air and water quality by: 1) requiring applicants to answer all questions on the Matrix and allowing the DNR to strengthen it; 2) increase separation distances between livestock operations and manure spreading and our waterways and communities; 3) require most proposed livestock operations to undergo this review; 4) give county governments authority to decide where livestock operations are located.