5 Reining in runoff.

• Position: STATELINE - Des Moines Water Works - Brief article

Enough of the runoff from Midwestern farms is making its way into the region's waterways that, in some areas, it threatens the safety of drinking water. Minnesota is taking the lead as the first state to require farmers to maintain a strip of grass, an average of 50 feet wide, along many of the state's streams, NPR reports. The strips help filter nitrates, phosphorous and other chemicals out of farm runoff. In Iowa, the effort to protect water has been more contentious. The Des Moines...