Nitrate pollution is straining small water facilities in Iowa, even when they have advanced filtration systems.

As national debate over fluoride intensifies, Manson, Iowa faces the opposite problem: naturally excessive levels

Iowa researchers have found that farm ponds — designed to control flooding and curb the amount of soil and organic materials moving downstream — are filling up with sediment more quickly than expected.

Kate Giannini spent a lot of her youth in Iowa City outdoors, playing in creeks and exploring nature. In high school and college, she enrolled in environmental classes and found inspiration to pursue the sciences. That led Giannini to her current job as program manager for the Iowa Flood Center — IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering in the University of Iowa’s College of Engineering. There, she works to enhance flood resilience across the state.

RIVERSIDE — Kate Giannini’s work on flood resilience has taken her from small-town Iowa to the Netherlands this winter, where she is using a Fulbright exchange to help bring a Dutch flood-planning tool to an Iowa community for the first time.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Central Iowa is once again seeing elevated nitrate levels in its rivers, this time in the middle of winter.

For decades, the University of Iowa’s IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering (IIHR) has been at the forefront of research in water science and environmental engineering. Visionary scholars, including Witold Krajewski and Jerry Schnoor, have become pillars of the field, shaping global perspectives of hydrology, climate resilience, and sustainable water systems. Now, as they transition into retirement, IIHR is entering a new era, building upon the momentum of fresh energy and bold ideas.

Farm ponds in Iowa, built primarily for flood-control purposes, are designed and constructed for an expected lifespan, based on expected sedimentation rates. New research, led by a team from the Iowa Geological Survey, set out to determine how actual sedimentation rates correlate with the ponds’ original predicted longevity

Small ponds and lakes dominate the distribution of global water bodies and have many ecological benefits. In the Midwest United States, ponds have been constructed to aid the reduction of sediment export from watersheds and for flood control purposes.

Steve Burian, executive director of the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), and Erin White, associate director of science and research operations, traveled to Iowa City to discuss the future direction of the program and how IIHR and the Iowa Flood Center can best support its research priorities.