The
Storm Lake Times, a small family-run Iowa newspaper, won a 2017
Pulitzer Price award for its coverage of issues associated with
farm pollution from local agricultural companies and the failure of
the County to control the agricultural runoff in the area.
The Storm Lake Times covered how the counties in the area allow
too much nitrogen to be released through farm drainage systems into
the river that provides a drinking water source for the
community.
The Des Moines Water Works sued the counties, and the Storm Lake
Times revealed that their defence of the lawsuit was funded by the
Farm Bureau and other agricultural groups. The Des Moines Water
Works sued three counties – Calhoun, Buena Vista and Sac
counties ("Drainage Districts") – for the high
nitrite levels found in the Raccoon River, a primary water source
for Des Moines. The
claim, filed on March 17, 2015, seeks a declaratory judgment
that the Drainage Districts have violated the Clean Water Act
