The annual report from the state Public Drinking Water Program shows only a small percentage of public drinking water supplies are failing to meet all the federal quality standards. The executive officer of the program, Diane Moles, says the compliance was especially good this year.

She says the percentage of water systems in compliance was at nearly 95 percent, which is the best the state has had in 10 years. Moles says the percentage of systems in compliance has been consistently above 90 percent. Moles says operators are good about reacting quickly to issues. “When a problem is found — no matter what they’re looking for — we’ve got a lot of good operators in the state. And they are diligent about getting these fixed,” Moles says. “And we’re also as a state program with oversight, we’re ensuring that they are getting them fixed. So, it’s sort of a collaborative effort, when problems are found, they get them taken care of .”

Mole says the numbers this year were boosted a bit by a change that no longer makes the discovery of coliform bacteria in a system and automatic violation. She says operators are now allowed to do a check of their whole system to find the source of the problem. If they don’t check the system, that becomes a violation. And then if they do check the system and they find a problem and they don’t fix the system, that becomes a violation,” Moles explains. “So, there’s more of an opportunity to see if there is a problem and get it fixed right away as opposed to just going right away to the violation.”

The report says the coliform bacteria are not harmful in themselves, but indicate a pathway into the water system through the pipes or some other avenue. That is why the system operators are now given the opportunity to check for the problem and correct it before it becomes a bigger issue.

Iowa did not have a disease outbreak or death linked to water from a public system. Moles says she has never seen that in Iowa in her time here. She says she’s been in the program for 21 years and says in that time there have been other cases of people dying from contaminated water systems in other states such as Illinois and Missouri. “There’s some famous ones in Missouri where birds go in water towers and caused some salmonella outbreaks and people did die from that,” Moles says.

A public water system is one that serves at least 25 people, and there are nearly three million (2.93) people who get their water from those systems in Iowa. Moles says those who are served by a public water system should soon see a report on that system sent out by the system. She says it’s important information. “People need to know what’s in their water — that’s part of the reason for this consumer confidence report — so that people know what’s in their specific water. They know who their water supplier is,” Moles says. “There’s a requirement in there for them to know when their board meetings are held, however the governing structure is in that system and who they can contact if they need more information. All of that kind of stuff is in there, it’s actually a very good report.”

You can see the full report on the Iowa D-N-R’s website at: www.iowadnr.gov. Go to the Environmental Protection section and click on the Water Quality tab.

(Radio Iowa)

More than 650 dealers are now licensed to sell fireworks in Iowa, but about a third of the required inspections were NOT completed before selling began. Barbara Edmondson, an attorney for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, says it was a challenge getting the licensing program up and running once the governor signed the bill May 9th.

“There was a very short window for selling,” Edmondson said. “We wanted to get licenses issued to the extent we could and to ensure that there was a maximum opportunity for people to be successful with this.” The new law made fireworks sales legal in Iowa on June 1st.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office spent more than 110-thousand dollars reviewing and inspecting the sites where fireworks have been sold. However, state officials say there wasn’t enough time or money to finish the job, so some provisional licenses for fireworks sales were issued. Retailers are charging the state sales tax on the commercial-grade fireworks that are now legal to sell in Iowa.

License fees have brought in nearly a quarter of a million dollars in state revenue. Fireworks sales are to end this Saturday, July 8th. Another period for sales — and use of fireworks — will open in December and last through early January.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:15 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Navy leaders have backed off a commander’s claim that an Iowa State University midshipman fabricated a sex assault, but they say the victim will still be expelled for underage drinking. In a recent letter, a Navy leader says the July 2016 assault was “unfortunate and appalling” but irrelevant to the 20-year-old man’s decision to drink alcohol the night of the alleged molestation. The midshipman has been ordered to repay $55,000 in benefits he received during his years in the scholarship program.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling means black defendants on trial in Iowa have a better chance of challenging all-white juries. The court’s decision throws out a method previously used to gauge the racial composition of a jury. It says judges must consider multiple methods of assessment that offer a more balanced review.

SOLON, Iowa (AP) — A Lake Mills man has died from injuries he received in a bicycle crash last week in rural Johnson County. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 70-year-old Franklin Dahn was riding his bicycle around 1:30 p.m. June 30 down a hill when he hit an animal and crashed The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office says Dahn was flown to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say they have no video or breath test results in the public intoxication arrest of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ new campaign manager. An officer spotted 32-year-old Phil Valenziano urinating outside a bar June 23, days after Reynolds announced he would lead her 2018 campaign. A West Des Moines police spokesman says its officers don’t wear body cameras yet and the arrest wasn’t captured by dash cam video.

A new telehealth initiative will expand H-I-V prevention efforts in rural Iowa, where H-I-V rates continue to climb. TelePrep will use at-home video calls and the postal system to administer H-I-V prevention medication to rural residents who are at risk. TelePrep coordinator Angie Hoth says in other Midwestern states, H-I-V cases are mostly concentrated in big cities.

Hoth says, “Whereas Iowa has approximately 25 to 30 percent of its HIV cases occurring in a rural part of the state, which is quite unique compared to our neighbors.” Hoth says the TelePrep program expects to serve 300 to 500 rural Iowa residents. She says the distance from cities can be a barrier to getting H-I-V prevention medication.

Hoth says, “People who may be at risk may be eligible for HIV prevention and for sexually-transmitted infection prevention don’t always have access to the services they need.” University of Iowa Health Care and the Iowa Department of Public Health are collaborating on TelePrep, which may be the only program of its kind in the country.

(Radio Iowa)