Iowa Waterways at Risk as EPA Allows More Toxic Waste from Coal Plants

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rolling back protections that stop coal-burning power plants from dumping toxic wastewater-including arsenic, mercury, selenium, and lead-from coal ash waste landfills into U.S. waterways. The discharge of coal ash wastewater has been an issue at Iowa coal plants, including in Sioux City on the Missouri River and in Ottumwa on the Des Moines River.

In September 2025, Donald Trump's EPA gave coal plant companies a pass by delaying enforcement of long-overdue wastewater protections from coal plant waste. The latest proposal would allow coal plants to dump even more coal ash landfill waste into surface waters under even weaker standards.

Over the past year, the Sierra Club and partners have actively opposed dangerous wastewater disposal practices at the Ottumwa coal-burning power plant co-owned by MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy. The coal plant's toxic wastewater is transported by truck to a sewage treatment plant that is not equipped to remove all the hazardous chemicals and heavy metals it contains. The wastewater is then discharged into the Des Moines River.

According to the Sierra Club's Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard, the Biden-era EPA's updates to the technology-based effluent limitation guidelines can reduce wastewater pollution by up to 64 percent nationwide, eliminating over 325,000 tons of toxic pollution in public waterways every year. Wastewater pollution from coal plants can cause increased risk of liver and kidney damage, cardiovascular illnesses, cancers, and developmental delays in children.

In response, Emma Colman, Beyond Coal Senior Campaign Organizer at Sierra Club, released the following statement:

"While Iowa grapples with a water crisis, the Trump administration is allowing coal plants to use our rivers as a dumping ground for toxic metals and carcinogens. Instead of making matters worse, our utility companies should be moving toward affordable, long-term renewable energy solutions that don't contribute to the already rampant pollution of our waterways."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.