August 2, 2001

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES DAY AT CLAY COUNTY FAIR

As a new feature at the Clay County Fair, the Iowa Lakes Community College Environmental Studies Program will be presenting a special program which will deal with rural water pollution problems.

As part of the program, Professor Gary Phillips will be making a presentation entitled Water Quality Issues in Iowa on September 14th at 10:00 a.m., 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00 p.m. in the Agriculture Building.  This 30-minute presentation will cover the categories and sources of water pollution, types of agricultural water pollutants, and the effects that these pollutants have on human health and the environment. 

Also, between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Professor Phillips and sophomore Environmental Studies students will be offering testing of rural well water samples.  Students will test the samples for coliform bacteria, total hardness, total iron, and nitrate nitrogen.  This water testing will be offered free to the first 200 individuals who bring their water samples to the Environmental Studies booth. 

Individuals wishing to have their water tested are asked to bring a water sample to the fair in a glass jar which has been cleaned with boiling water.  The students will need approximately one pint of water for the testing they will be performing.  Water samples should be taken from a faucet as close as possible to the well.  The water should be run for several minutes before the sample is taken.  Individuals are asked not to take samples that have gone through any type of water purification or softening systems.  Also, samples of water from municipal or rural water supply systems will not be tested.