EPA Region 7 has reached a proposed settlement with the current and former owners of the former Townsend Industries Facility, a chemical storage and handling site in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, to address hazardous waste contamination in groundwater resulting from business operations in the 1970s and 1980s.

Following a brief power outage Saturday night, the city of Burlington discharged partially treated wastewater to the Mississippi River. When a breaker tripped at 10:14 p.m., the power loss shut off all pumps causing partially treated wastewater to fill and overflow from processing tanks at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The city reports 27,000 gallons discharged to the river before pumping resumed.

Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today were joined at the administration’s weekly press conference by leaders from CenturyLink, Windstream, Frontier and Consolidated Communications to announce that the companies will expand broadband internet services across Iowa to nearly 90,000 homes. The broadband internet expansion, a priority of the Branstad-Reynolds administration, was made possible by $53.2 million in grants from the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Connect America Fund (CAF)

Roughly another 3,500 gallons of industrial wastewater discharged Monday night following the morning discharge of 500 gallons at the Roquette America, Inc. plant in Keokuk. The discharge began about 5 p.m. when an expansion joint on a condensate pump failed, discharging the condensate to the Mississippi River.

The DNR will hold a public stakeholder meeting Aug. 25 to collect public comments on the proposed reissuance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit #5.

Senator Chuck Grassley will hold eight town meetings in Poweshiek, Tama, Osceola, Plymouth, Clay, Palo Alto, Emmet and Dickinson counties during the week of August 24, 2015, as part of his annual 99-county meetings.

Starting Aug. 10, small Iowa communities (populations of 5,000 or less) can apply for funding to perform asbestos inspections on neglected buildings in a special round of funding from the DNR’s Derelict Building Grant Program.

The DNR will hold a public stakeholder meeting Aug. 25 to collect public comments on the proposed reissuance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit #5

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Obama's disaster declaration issued for the State of Iowa.

The city of Woodward in Dallas County lost water pressure about 11 p.m. Thursday night during repairs to valves in a water main.. All residents should boil water until tests show that water is free from bacterial contamination and safe to drink

Sen. Chuck Grassley asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a copy of an audit of the Omaha Housing Authority, following a series of Nebraska Watchdog stories.  HUD has released the audit at Grassley’s urging.  Grassley is a long-time advocate for government transparency and for making sure HUD conducts proper oversight of the billions of federal dollars deemed to provide safe, affordable housing for those in need.  Grassley made the following comment on the audit and its release

The good news just keeps getting better if you are selling your home in Iowa. Sale prices and number of homes sold continue their upward trend. Sales increased almost 10 percent and average days on market reached a new 3 year low according to the Iowa Association of REALTORS

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines today made available the results of its second annual stress test as required by its regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency. As a result of the merger transaction with Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle on May 31, 2015, the Bank also made available the results of the Seattle Bank’s second annual stress test. Results can be found on the Bank’s investor relations page

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded more than $2,773,730 in grants to the City of Portland for investment in low-income housing projects.

If you’re looking to blaze a new trail this summer, consider hitting the water for something different. Iowa boasts a number of water trails, which offer a unique perspective on Iowa in summer.