In this inaugural podcast, Rootstalk audio producer Noah Herbin interviews Bill Stowe, the CEO of Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) and a Grinnell alumnus, class of 1981. Stowe gave a talk at Drake Community Library in Grinnell last March, in which he discussed the need to bring about cleaner water in Iowa, and outlined DMWW’s ongoing court case. Under Stowe’s leadership, the DMWW filed suit against three county boards of supervisors in north-central Iowa for failing to adequately regulate the use of farm chemicals, particularly nitrates, resulting in enormous expense to DMWW to remove the nitrates from the city’s drinking water. Mere days after his talk, the lawsuit was dismissed. In this short interview, Stowe describes his thoughts on the court decision, and what the decision means for the future of Iowa and the broader Midwest.

To hear an audio recording of this issue’s podcast, click the audio link, below.