Iowa Code 455E.3 – Findings
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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The general assembly finds that:
1. Groundwater is a precious and vulnerable natural resource. The vast majority of persons in the state depend on groundwater as a drinking water source. Agriculture, commerce, and industry also depend heavily on groundwater. Historically, the majority of Iowa’s groundwater has been usable for these purposes without treatment. Protection of groundwater is essential to the health, welfare, and economic prosperity of all citizens of the state.
Terms Used In Iowa Code 455E.3
- Contamination: means the direct or indirect introduction into groundwater of any contaminant caused in whole or in part by human activities. See Iowa Code 455E.2
- Groundwater: means any water of the state, as defined in section 455B. See Iowa Code 455E.2
- Manufacturing: means physical or chemical modification of one or more materials to produce packaging or packaging components. See Iowa Code 455D.19
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
2. Many activities of humans, including the manufacturing, storing, handling, and application to land of pesticides and fertilizers; the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes; the storing and handling of hazardous substances; and the improper construction and the abandonment of wells and septic systems have resulted in groundwater contamination throughout the state.
3. Knowledge of the health effects of contaminants varies greatly. The long-term detriment to human health from synthetic organic compounds in particular is largely unknown but is of concern.
4. Any detectable quantity of a synthetic organic compound in groundwater is unnatural and undesirable.
5. The movement of groundwater, and the movement of contaminants in groundwater, are often difficult to ascertain or control. Decontamination is difficult and expensive to accomplish. Therefore, preventing contamination of groundwater is of paramount importance.