Update (9-2-25): Alliant Energy provided a statement: “Alliant Energy is dedicated to serving our customers and communities throughout the state. Driven by our mission and core values, we are steadfast in our commitment to environmental compliance. The current amendment to the Ottumwa Generating Station permit fixes a technical issue when the permit was issued by Iowa DNR in 2024. The Ottumwa Generating Station is in compliance with the permits issued by the Iowa DNR and we remain fully committed to protecting water quality in the Des Moines River. For an additional source and information on this matter, please feel free to contact the Iowa DNR Public Information Office at PIO@dnr.iowa.gov.”
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is holding a public hearing this week in Ottumwa to discuss wastewater in the area.
Raihan Rashidi is an Energy Policy Manager for the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) and she says Iowa’s rivers, including the Des Moines River, have long been inundated with industrial pollution, with little accountability to ensure the state’s waterways remain clean, safe for drinking, and accessible for recreation.
Rashidi says coal ash pollution is especially concerning, as it links to respiratory illnesses, developmental disorders, heart disease, various cancers, and more. The Iowa DNR is hosting a “public hearing party” at the Ottumwa Public Library on Wednesday, September 3rd at 9:45 AM.
According to Rashidi, a coal plant, owned by Alliant Energy, five miles north of Ottumwa is severely impacting residents. Alliant applied to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for a wastewater discharge permit which is being opposed by IEC and the Sierra Club.
Rashidi says Wednesday’s public hearing will give residents a voice.
“[The public hearing] is an opportunity for community members to share what this means or how it impacts the community,” Rashidi says. “Everyone relies on the local drinking water systems.”
Rashidi noted Iowa ranks second in the nation for cancer incidence, and Wapello County stands out with some of the highest rates in the state. Rashidi believes it is critical that the Ottumwa Generating Station’s permit be amended to require sufficient treatment of pollutants before discharge into the river, protecting both community health and surrounding ecosystems.
On its website, the Sierra Club says the permit “would allow them [Alliant] to transport polluted water from its coal ash landfill to the sewage treatment plant which would then process the liquid and discharge it to the Des Moines River. The problem is that the sewage treatment plant does not have the technology to remove the pollutants and will be discharging them into the River.”
The meeting can also be attended virtually. Organizers say anyone with questions can contact Emma Coleman via email (Emma.Coleman@sierraclub.org).
Ottumwa Radio News reached out to Alliant Energy for comment.
Editor’s note: The story has been edited to correctly note the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting the event and to add the statement from Alliant Energy.
