| Protect Water Prevent Cancer campaign was officially launched to channel Iowans’ concern about worsening water quality and increasing cancer rates into meaningful change. The campaign brings together individuals, families, farmers, cancer survivors, and organizations across the state to advocate for solutions that improve water quality, reduce environmental cancer risks, and move Iowa toward measurable progress.Led by the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC), Protect Water Prevent Cancer is grounded in nearly two years of listening to Iowans and rigorous research (see Background, below). Today, the project shifts to advocacy and action. The goal of Protect Water Prevent Cancer is simple: achieve safe, healthy water and reduce cancer rates so Iowans can live long and healthy lives“The urgency is real,” says Sarah Green, IEC Executive Director. “It’s not OK that Iowa’s cancer rate continues to climb, while the rate in most other states and the U.S. as a whole declines. Iowans deserve actual progress on water quality and our cancer crisis, not excuses or lip service.”Through a new website, protectwaterpreventcancer.org, and greatly expanding collaboration with regional partner organizations, the campaign equips Iowans with the knowledge, tools, and local connections to advocate for change and lays out the framework for commonsense policy solutions.New polling of 800 Iowans shows that water quality and health is top-of-mind for Iowa voters. The July survey was commissioned by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) as part of its Food Citizen Project and conducted by GQR Research. IEC contributed to topics included in the survey. Key takeaways include:Drinking water quality and the environment is a top issue for Iowa voters, with a majority (60%) choosing it as one of their top five most important issues; that includes 78% of Democrats, 64% of independents, and 41% of Republicans ranking it as a top five issue.A quarter (26%) say there is little to no chance they would support a candidate who does not prioritize water quality.More than three quarters (84%) have recently heard about water quality, and people who have been personally impacted by cancer and those with a career in agriculture are more likely to have heard about it. Of those who’ve heard about it recently, 85% felt more concerned after learning facts about Iowa’s water quality.While a majority of Iowa voters support the state’s agriculture industry, they strongly distinguish between independent farms and large-scale corporate or industrial operations. Large corporate and industrial farming operations, as well as multinational corporations, receive 76% unfavorable ratings, while small and medium-sized independent farms remain far more popular, with 90% favorability.See the rest of the survey results online here.“The demand for clean water is uniting Iowans like no other issue,” Green says. “This snapshot of Iowa voters reflects what we’ve heard in libraries, church basements, and community centers throughout Iowa: Iowans across demographics — rural, urban, young families, seniors, and people across the political spectrum — are worried about our water. People are connecting the dots between environmental pollution and Iowa’s cancer crisis, and they don’t trust the corporate monopolies and out-of-state interests that prioritize their own agendas over the needs of Iowa’s people, communities, and independent family farmers.”Independent and small to midsize farmers play a critical role in Iowa’s identity, economy, and the fabric of our communities. That’s why farmers have been part of this movement from the very start.“Family farmers are part of the solution to our water quality challenges,” Green says. “Iowa’s farming culture was built by families who care about their land and what they’re leaving their children. Now, those families are struggling under the growing dominance of industrial agriculture. It is threatening our family farms, hollowing out our rural towns, and now impacting our water quality and the health and lives of Iowans. People across the state are sending a clear message: We can and must find common ground. We must do better.”BACKGROUNDIn 2025 and 2026, IEC, The Harkin Institute, the Iowa Farmers Union, and other partners including the Iowa Food System Coalition, Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, and the Nishnabotna Water Defenders, conducted 29 listening and outreach sessions in Iowa’s small towns and big cities, where hundreds of Iowans voiced concern over environmental risks and shared their experiences with cancer.This deep listening was paired with a commitment to deliver unbiased facts and research. In March 2026, IEC and The Harkin Institute released a groundbreaking report based on more than 200 high-quality scientific studies examining the associations between environmental risk factors present at high levels in Iowa (nitrate, pesticides, PFAS, and radon) and cancers, including cancer types on the rise in Iowa and cancers in Iowans under 50 years old. |
Protect Water Prevent Cancer is grounded in science and the stories and lived experiences of Iowans impacted by cancer. For more about the campaign, visit protectwaterpreventcancer.org. 
