DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines business group says it wants to find a solution to a water quality dispute that has prompted the city’s water utility to sue three counties. Des Moines Water Works claims that drainage districts in those counties act as conduits in moving nitrates from farm fields into a river, which serves as one of two sources of drinking water for city residents.

As a result, the utility says it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to reduce nitrates to levels the federal government deems safe. The lawsuit is set to go before a federal judge next summer. The Des Moines Register reports that the Greater Des Moines Partnership wants to bring together business, farming, water, environmental and legislative leaders to find long-term solutions to Iowa’s water-quality issues.