Under the Surface: 

Inside Iowa's 1987 Landmark Groundwater Protection Act

Featuring Former Iowa Legislators:

David Osterberg

Ralph Rosenberg

In August 2026, Watershed Talks explored the history and lasting impact of Iowa’s landmark 1987 Groundwater Protection Act.

The bipartisan legislation fundamentally reshaped Iowa’s approach to water protection by establishing an “individual duty” for every citizen to protect the state’s shared water resources. It also created an innovative “user pays” funding model through the Iowa Groundwater Protection Fund (GWPF), using fees and taxes on potential groundwater contaminants to support environmental oversight and research. The comprehensive funding system addressed products used in both rural agricultural settings and urban household and industrial settings.

The discussion featured former Iowa legislators David Osterberg and Ralph Rosenberg, two of the original architects of the legislation. Hosted by Watershed Talks coordinator Christine Curry, with Adam Shriver serving as guest moderator, the conversation provided an inside look at how bipartisan cooperation helped create a national model for environmental protection.

The program examined how the Act’s innovative funding helped establish three state research centers, including the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and considered what its approach to water protection can teach us today as Iowa faces continuing water-quality challenges, evolving state funding debates, and an uncertain conservation future.