Deciding Iowa

Deciding Iowa Deciding Iowa is a video blog tackling the tough political and people-focused issues shaping our state.

Through honest conversations and deep dives into policy, we explore what’s at stake and where Iowa goes from here.

11/25/2025

Iowa’s deficit didn’t “just happen.” It was created.

This clip explains how and why it’s time to invest in Iowans again. Listen for less than 90 seconds to learn the rest of this sentence...

You drink the water _______ _______ ______.

11/20/2025

Ever hand someone a blank check and just… hope for the best? 😬

That’s basically Iowa’s ESA voucher system. No audits. No public meetings. No elected boards. No income limits. Just higher tuition and zero accountability.

Shawn and Emily talk us through the wild west of “oversight" in this short clip.

11/04/2025

Hey Shawn and Emily– what can we do about cancer risks?

We have the second highest cancer rate in the country.

When Shawn recently overlaid cancer data with our major waterways, the pattern was striking. Counties with the highest cancer rates lined up with Iowa’s rivers and streams. While correlation doesn’t prove causation, the connection is too serious to ignore.

Our water carries nitrates, PFAS, and other harmful chemicals — likely major contributors to the health crisis in our state. The truth is, we need more resources to understand the full picture. But we already know enough to take action.

✅ Filter your water
✅ Test and mitigate for radon
✅ Reduce smoking and UV exposure
✅ Watch alcohol and diet
✅ Get vaccinated for HPV
✅ Advocate for cleaner waterways

Let’s fight for a healthier future — together. It’s time to turn this around, Iowa. 🌊💪

Health

11/01/2025

When we close our eyes to a problem, it doesn’t disappear.

The Iowa Legislature diverted funds away from the University of Iowa’s water monitoring program, a key effort that helps us see what’s really happening in our waterways.

Ignoring pollution won’t make it go away.

We need transparency, science, and accountability to protect Iowa’s water.

🎥 Watch the latest Deciding Iowa clip with Shawn and Emily.

10/30/2025

🚨 Iowa, what’s really in your water?

Did you know that the EPA’s “safe” limit for nitrate in drinking water—10 parts per million—was set decades ago?

🧪 Shawn and Emily explain that no amount of nitrate is truly safe. While the 10ppm limit helps prevent acute effects like Blue Baby Syndrome, research now shows that long-term exposure, especially when combined with other pollutants, is linked to serious health risks—including cancer.

💧 What can you do now?
➡️ Test your private wells through the Iowa Private Well Grant Program
➡️ Ask your city how they’re tracking and cleaning up nitrates
➡️ Consider a reverse osmosis filtration system if possible

Our water—and our health—depend on it.

10/26/2025

💧Emily and Shawn – who pays for clean water? 💧

Clean water isn’t free — but who should pay for it?

When it comes to water pollution, Iowans have two choices:
💰 Pay to keep pollutants out, or 💸 pay to take them out later.

In our latest short clip, Emily and Shawn remind us how Iowa’s current system shifts the cost of water cleanup from polluters to the public and what needs to change to protect our communities and our future.

🎥 Watch now and join the conversation. See five full length episodes with the experts on Facebook or visit our YouTube channel.

Please share and comment!

💧 Catch up on the first five episodes of our special water series!From farm fields to policy debates, Deciding Iowa dive...
10/13/2025

💧 Catch up on the first five episodes of our special water series!

From farm fields to policy debates, Deciding Iowa dives into the complex story of water in our state — how it shapes our health, our communities, and our future.

🎙️ Episodes so far:
1️⃣ The Story of Water in Iowa – How our state’s water systems came to be.
2️⃣ CAFOs and Manure Management – Understanding non-point source contamination.
3️⃣ Nonpoint Source Contamination – What’s really in our runoff.
4️⃣ Row Crop Limitations and Diversification – Why monoculture matters.
5️⃣ Iowa Policy: Limitations and Opportunities – The politics of clean water.

🌊 Each episode features real Iowans — scientists, policymakers, and advocates — sharing what’s at stake and what’s possible.

Find Deciding Iowa on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.
🎧 Search Deciding Iowa to listen now.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVw16sGi9cnMoeFiuKdok_w

10/12/2025

Voluntary isn’t working. Weak fines and underfunded monitoring continue to put Iowa’s water at risk. In this episode of Deciding Iowa, we ask: what will it take to make protection—not pollution—the priority? 💧Check out the first 5 parts to this series on our FB, IG, and YouTube, too!

10/12/2025

🚨 New Episode Alert!
💧 Deciding Iowa – Part 5: Iowa Policy: Limitations and Opportunities

Iowa’s clean water policies sound good on paper — but are they working? In this fifth episode of our six-part water series, Dr. Shawn Ellerbroek and Dr. Emily Boevers sit down with Representative Chuck Isenhart, attorney Wally Taylor, and Dr. Matt Helmers of Iowa State University to unpack the policies shaping our water future.

From weak penalties and underfunded monitoring to voluntary nutrient reduction programs that rarely deliver measurable results, we ask the hard question: what will it take to make protection—not pollution—the priority?

🎧 Watch or listen now on your favorite podcast platform or YouTube.

🎧💧 Catch Up with Deciding Iowa! 💧🎧Whether you’re in the car, on a walk, or winding down at home—you can now listen and w...
10/06/2025

🎧💧 Catch Up with Deciding Iowa! 💧🎧
Whether you’re in the car, on a walk, or winding down at home—you can now listen and watch the Deciding Iowa series wherever you are.

Find us on your favorite podcasting platforms or watch every episode on YouTube as we unpack Iowa’s most pressing water issues—from CAFOs and nutrient runoff to crop diversification and the future of clean water.

Hosted by Dr. Shawn Ellerbroek and Dr. Emily Boevers, this six-part series dives deep into the conversations shaping Iowa’s environmental and public health future.

🎥 Subscribe and stay tuned—new episodes every week in this six part series!
👉 https://www.youtube.com/

Audio version: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2537207

10/05/2025

🚜🌱 Deciding Iowa – Part 4 on Water Quality 🌱🚜

Row Crop Limitations and Crop Diversification
Iowa’s 24 million acres of row crops are the backbone of our agriculture — but they also shape the future of our water. In this episode, we dig into:

🔹 Why corn and soybeans dominate — and what that means for nitrate runoff
🔹 How cover crops and perennials can help mimic natural prairie systems
🔹 The potential (and challenges) of adding small grains and forage crops
🔹 Why voluntary solutions may not be enough for clean water

Join Dr. Shawn Ellerbroek and Dr. Emily Boevers, with guest Dr. Matt Helmers, as they explore what it will take to diversify Iowa’s crop system and protect our water. Be sure to check out parts 1, 2, and 3!

👉 Watch Part 4 here or across other channels!

Part 4 of our Iowa Water Quality Series goes up today at 10a.m. Stay tuned and please share!
10/05/2025

Part 4 of our Iowa Water Quality Series goes up today at 10a.m. Stay tuned and please share!

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