Lawmakers take on water quality at an ‘academy’

 Some would say state lawmakers dropped the proverbial ball on water quality in 2015, but State Rep. Todd Prichard, D-Charles City, begs to disagree.“I think we have some real momentum,” Prichard said Wednesday afternoon at the Borlaug Learning Center, “and that’s why we’re here.”Prichard and 15 other state lawmakers joined farmers and those from environmental groups for what he billed as a “Water Quality Academy.”“It’s such a huge issue for Iowa, that it’s not going to be a one-year deal,” Prichard said. “The fact that we had great discussions this last session, I think, shows we’re headed in the right direction.”Prichard came up with the idea for the academy for a couple of reasons.First, he felt legislators like himself needed to hear the “science” of water quality.Second, he wanted lawmakers to hear from the experts — farmers who work the land, for example — on what conservation practices they already use.He then sent out invitations to lawmakers from around the state, and on Wednesday, members of both the House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans, traveled to Nashua for a day-long workshop.For the complete story see the 7/1/2016 New Hampton Tribune.