The Greene County Supervisors approved a resolution at their meeting this week to support legal defense in the nitrite lawsuit with the Iowa Drainage Districts Association (IDDA) against the Des Moines Water Works.

The utility is suing the County Supervisors of Buena Vista, Sac and Calhoun for mismanaging their drainage districts in regards to allowing high levels of nitrites in the Raccoon River.  Supervisor Chair John Muir explains why the Supervisors wanted to support the IDDA.

“If the lawsuit continues, they (IDDA) will need some help that way (financially).  And I think it was unanimously and we all along felt like, in the interest of our own drainage districts and drainage in general, it was in our best interest to support and see how this lawsuit turns out.”

The Supervisors agreed to support IDDA and its defense, but they did not agree on where payment should come from.  The resolution called for a $5,000 per year for three years of financial commitment from the County.  The two solutions were to either have just the landowners in the drainage districts pay for it or have it come out of the general fund.

Muir talks about the discussions they had about determining what fund to use.

“Part of it is, if you think it will be settled quick, because the lawsuit names drainage districts in those three counties, it looks like drainage district’s battle.  But I feel like it could be everybody’s battle if the law is changed.”

The Supervisors will decide at a future meeting where the funding will come from in support of the defense of the lawsuit.