The forum, co-sponsored by the Globe Gazette and KIMT-TV, was packed as more than 200 people attended.

There were no simple answers to the questions a panel of six experts took from the crowd.

Responsible management and open communication can defuse the emotion of what has become a sensitive issue, said Wayne Gieselman of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Environmental Services Division. “It all comes back to responsible management and being good neighbors.”

Iowa’s economy depends on helping farmers survive, said Aaron Putze of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. “We need farmers and the livestock industry, and being a good neighbor knows no size.”

When asked if groundwater contamination is a problem in Iowa, Gieselman said, “Yes. But the problems involve much more than confinements issues.

“We need to start looking at watershed approaches and change our way of doing things — in farm fields and on golf courses, in open feed lots and confinements,” he said.

Source: globegazette.com