Supervisors Clash Over Water Quality Monitoring During Budget Talks

Without local news, all we have are rumors. Keep facts alive — give now. DECORAH — Winneshiek County supervisors engaged in a heated discussion Monday over whether county funds should support water quality monitoring systems. Supervisor Shirley Vermace advocated for funding at least one monitoring station in the Upper Iowa River watershed, citing past public input and the need for consistent data. Vermace referenced a countywide water quality study conducted by Luther College, which indicated that water quality was a top concern among residents. "Everybody in our county participated in that survey, including farm landowners, including city dwellers—everybody—their top concern was water quality," Vermace said during the meeting. Vermace noted that four monitoring systems currently operate in the watershed at a cost of about $34,000 per year, with a single station costing roughly $8,500 annually. She proposed funding one station as a partial measure, contingent on whether the Iowa Legislature reinstates statewide funding for the monitoring network. "All these monitors help us know what conservation practices are working," Vermace said. "It's just an annual, consistent testing of our surface water quality." She added that monitoring data can help secure future grant funding. "If we don't have them operating, we don't have the data. So it's an investment in the potential of getting help to remediate a problem." Supervisor Mark Vick pushed back, questioning whether water quality monitoring should take precedence over transportation infrastructure. Vick pointed to competing demands on county resources, "We've got roads and bridges we can't drive across," Vick said. Vermace stated that Iowa was "number one in rising cancer rates," a statement that Vick quickly refuted by saying "No, we're not." According to data from the 2025 Cancer in Iowa report from the Iowa Cancer Registry, Iowa is the "second-highest" state in the U.S. for new cancer cases, however, Iowa has "one of the fastest-rising cancer rates in the country," and is noted for having high rates of specific cancers, including top-tier rankings for HPV-associated and skin cancers. The conversation also included debate over which waterways should be monitored and how the data relates to local drinking water sources. At one point, Vermace said, "We want to know what's in our drinking water," while Vick stated that municipal drinking water "does not come directly from the Upper Iowa River." The supervisors also debated which waterways should be monitored and how the data relates to local drinking water. Vermace said, "We want to know what's in our drinking water," while Vick noted that municipal water "does not come directly from the Upper Iowa River." Faldet clarified, "That's the Turkey River," while Vermace responded, "That's not the Upper Iowa." Vick said the monitoring effort would benefit Northeast Iowa broadly. Faldet countered, "But each river is specific to a different area of our county." Vick doubled down, "We don't drink the water out of the Upper Iowa River," he said. While municipal drinking water does not come "directly from the river," according to data from Northeast Iowa RC&D, the City of Decorah's drinking water is directly influenced by and sourced from the Upper Iowa River. The municipality gets its water from six shallow wells, ranging from 56 to 82 feet deep, located along the river, which draw from the Alluvial-Ordovician aquifer. While the City does test its water regularly, the aquifer was found to be "highly susceptible to contamination because the characteristics of the aquifer and overlying materials provide little protection from contamination at the land surface such as leaking underground storage tanks, contaminant spills, and excess fertilizer application". Faldet explained that if the county were to apply for grants to address water quality issues, they would require data "to show that we have a need," "If we don't have [monitoring systems] operating," he said, "then we don't have that data." Supervisor Steve Kelsay said he would prefer county funds be directed toward staffing needs rather than environmental monitoring. "I want money to go in for an HR Director, right? I don't want it to go anyplace else," Kelsay said during the discussion. Vermace made a motion to fund a single system at the $8,500 price, with a second from Faldet. The motion failed with two votes in support from Vermace and Faldet and three against from Vick, Kelsay and Supervisor Chair Dan Langreck. Be in the know, always! The free newsletter delivers local news, features, and tips directly to you—perfect for busy readers.