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Water Quality Programs
Permits from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) may be required prior to commencing activities such as: installing a well, disturbing one or more acres of soil surface, impacting a wetland, disturbing a wetland, or generating wastewater. Consider low impact development and best management practices when implementing compliance requirements, this sustainable approach can help manage regulatory responsibilities and protect the environment.
Water Quality Advocacy Program
Confidential, non-regulatory compliance assistance is available from the Water Quality Advocate who is a focal point of assistance for water quality coordinating outreach, information and assistance to communities and businesses
Flood Plains Permit
Before constructing or maintaining any type of structure in any flood plain or floodway, contact the IDNR to identify if approval is required from IDNR or a local government authorized to act for the IDNR. Examples of activities requiring a permit include construction, excavation, filling, establishing dams or docks and making channel changes. Use Joint Form 36.
Nonpoint source pollution
Nonpoint source pollution soil occurs when rainfall, snowmelt or irrigation water runs over land or through the ground and deposits pollutants such as bacteria, fertilizers and manure into streams, lakes or groundwater. Keeping pollutants such polluntants out of our water is critical to having clean water for drinking, recreation, and aquatic habitat.
NPDES (National Pollutant Eliminate Discharge) Permits
NPDES permits regulate the direct discharge of wastewater to waters of the state. A NPDES discharge application permit must be submitted a minimum of six months prior to the commencement of discharge. If constructing a wastewater treatment facility that discharges to surface water a wastewater construction permit is also needed.
Onsite Septic Systems
Local county boards of health have primary responsibility for regulation of sewer systems serving less than 15 people while IDNR has primary responsibility for larger (public) systems. Counties must comply with the minimum state standards developed by IDNR.
Pretreatment Program
Industrial plants use proven pollution control technologies known as pretreatment to remove significant amounts of pollutants from their wastewaters before discharging them into a municipal sewage treatment system. Federal categorical pretreatment regulations and related wastewater discharge restrictions apply to specific industries and industrial processes including, leather tanning, metal finishing (i.e., electroplating, chromating/phosphating, printed circuit board manufacture, etc.), paint formulation, pesticide manufacturing, metal molding and casting, and some types of food production facilities. Facilities should check with an assistance provider
to determine if their operations are subject to any of these categorical standards. Iowa cities with local pretreatment programs include: Ames, Ankeny, Boone, Burlington, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Fort Madison, Iowa City, Keokuk, Marshalltown, Mason City, Muscatine, Ottumwa, Sioux City, and Waterloo.
Private Water Well Program
A property owner must obtain a well construction permit before constructing a new well or modifying an existing well. Typically, the permit is issued by the local county health department if the water will only be used for cooling or industrial purposes. If the water will be used for including drinking water and the company qualifies as a “public water supply.”
Public Drinking Water and Public Water Supply
Safe Drinking Water Act information and notification templates and language required by IDNR for community water suppliers.
Public Water Supply Engineering
Water supply engineering review by IDNR ensures that drinking water programs associated with public water supplies will provide adequate quantities of safe drinking water through correct design and construction. A public water supply construction permit must be obtained from IDNR prior to construction or modifying any source, treatment, storage, or distribution system of a public water supply.
Sovereign Land Construction Permit
Constructing facilities on, above or under lands or water that are state-owned requires a sovereign land construction permit from (IDNR) before beginning construction. This includes “fee-title lands,” meandered streams, and most natural lakes. Meandered streams ”border rivers” (Big Sioux, Mississippi, and Missouri) as well as portions of the Cedar, Des Moines, East Fork Des Moines, West Fork Des Moines, Iowa, Little Maquoketa, Maquoketa, Nishnabotna, Raccoon, Skunk, Turkey, Upper Iowa, and the Wapsipinicon.
Stormwater Permits
General Permit no. 1 must be obtained before any construction or industrial materials stored outside, or outside activities, may come into contact with storm water. General Permit no. 2 must be obtained before construction activity disturbing one or more residential, commercial or industrial acres. General Permit no.3 must be obtained for facilities such as asphalt plants, concrete batch plants, quarries, sand and gravel pits and rock crushers. Other stormwater permits may apply.
Total Daily Maximum Load (TMDL)
TMDLS facilitate water quality planning by identifying the water quality problem in a stream or lake, locating where the problem is coming from, determining how with improvements the stream or lake can meet Iowa’s water quality standards, and suggesting ways that the communities and businesses located in a specific watershed can improve their stream or lake. Waterbodies note meeting a state’s water quality standards are identified on a “303(d) list as impaired waters.
Use Assessment/Use Attainability
Use Assessment and Use Attainability is a step-by-step process used by the IDNR to gather site specific field data on stream features and uses. Information is then used to determine if the assigned recreational and aquatic uses are appropriate.
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Section “404” Construction Permit
The USACE issues a construction permit for construction taking place in, around, or on “navigable waterways.” Activities impacting a wetland, river, stream, creek, run, canal, channel, ditch, lake, reservoir, or embankment may require a USACE permit. A “Section 404 Nationwide” Construction Permit is usually issued within two to four weeks. For a more complex project a “Section 404 Individual” Permit” is issued. Use the “Joint Form 36”.
Wastewater Construction Permits
Wastewater construction permits are issued by IDNR for the construction of facilities (such as municipal and industrial treatment and collection facilities) that discharge treated wastewater to a river or stream. Permits are also issued for wastewater reclamation projects, non-discharging animal feeding operations, and small on-site wastewater disposal systems that commonly serve developments for the treatment of domestic wastewater.
Water and Wastewater Operator Certification
“Drinking Water” and “Wastewater Operators” must be certified by IDNR. Public water supplies classified as “non-transient, non-community public water supplies” (such as a school, factory restaurant, resort, or church served by its own supply of water, usually a well) require a certified operator. Operators must meet continuing education requirements and renew certification every two years.
Water Quality Listserv
IDNR offers a listserv in deliver timely information directly to your email in three categories including: Animal Feeding Operations, Water Supply and Water Quality.
Water Quality Standards (WQS)
Water Quality Standards are the foundation of water quality-based pollution control standards mandated by the federal Clean Water Act. IDNR uses WQS to define the goals for a waterbody by designating its uses, setting criteria to protect those uses, and establishing provisions to protect waterbodies from pollutants.
Water Use Permits
All waters, surface and groundwater, are "public waters and public wealth" of Iowa citizens. Iowa statute provides an allocation system based on the concept of "beneficial use". A use permit from IDNR is required of any individual or entity withdrawing 25,000 gallons or more water in a 24-hour period during any calendar year, regardless of public water supply status. The application and permit fee should be submitted at least four months before withdrawing water.
Watershed Improvement
Water quality is impaired by “nonpoint source” pollution which occurs when rainfall, snowmelt or irrigation water runs over land or through the ground and picks up pollutants and deposits them into streams, lakes or groundwater, and by “point source” pollution which can be traced back to a specific location or "point. Both types of pollutants come from "watershed," which is an area of land that drains into a lake or stream. To improve Iowa's water quality, watersheds must be cleaned up and protected to keep sediment, nutrients and bacteria from washing into streams and lakes.
Wetlands Protection
IDNR does not have a wetlands construction permit program. Wetland permitting is authorized by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); as such Iowa follows USACE guidelines. The determination of whether a wetland requires a USACE construction permit is determined on a site specific basis. Contact the USACE prior to construction in advance if anticipating building in, around, or on a wetland. Use Joint Form 36.