Iowa Midterms Highlight Water Quality and Cancer Concerns

WHO:

NBC News - Roughly two in five Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes.

ABC News - Democrat Josh Turek is running for U.S. Senate.

ABC News - Republican congresswoman Ashley Hinson is running against Turek.

ABC News - Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is involved in water quality initiatives.

ABC News - Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand are candidates running to replace Reynolds.

ABC News - Research scientist Chris Jones is running for Iowa’s secretary of agriculture.

WHAT:

NBC News - Cancer rates are a significant concern for voters in Iowa's midterm races.

ABC News - Iowa has the second highest rate of newly diagnosed cancers in the country.

ABC News - Specific cancer diagnoses, such as prostate, breast, and lung cancer, are increasing in Iowa faster than the U.S. overall.

ABC News - Iowa has been investing nearly $100 million annually in its nutrient reduction strategy.

ABC News - In May, Gov. Kim Reynolds and lawmakers committed an additional $320 million for water infrastructure and conservation initiatives.

ABC News - Central Iowa Water Works issued its first-ever ban on lawn watering last year to reduce demand on its nitrate removal facilities.

ABC News - Federal regulations state that drinking water is safe with a maximum nitrate level of 10 milligrams per liter.

WHERE:

NBC News - The issues of water quality and cancer rates are at the forefront of state politics in Iowa.

ABC News - The Des Moines area has faced restrictions on water use.

ABC News - Central Iowa Water Works is located in the Des Moines area.

WHEN:

ABC News - The complaint against counties upstream by the Des Moines area’s water utility was ultimately dismissed more than a decade ago.

ABC News - Central Iowa Water Works ran its nitrate removal treatment for a record 193 days straight earlier this year.

WHY:

ABC News - Water quality and cancer rates have been politically taboo due to the powerful agricultural industry in Iowa.

ABC News - Critics argue that the lack of regulation forces downstream Iowans to pay for pollution caused by agricultural runoff.

HOW:

ABC News - Farmers are increasingly participating in practices to prevent runoff.

ABC News - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiated a plan to review the classification of nitrates as a cancer risk in 2017, but it has been stalled.

(UPDATED October 15, 2026 01:20 UTC)

Cancer rates are becoming a pressing issue for voters in Iowa, with nearly two in five Iowans expected to be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetimes, and the state currently holding the second highest rate of newly diagnosed cancers in the nation. In the political arena, Democrat Josh Turek is running for U.S. Senate against Republican congresswoman Ashley Hinson, while Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is actively involved in water quality initiatives, supported by a recent commitment of $320 million for infrastructure and conservation. As concerns over water quality and agricultural runoff grow, Central Iowa Water Works has implemented restrictions on lawn watering to manage nitrate levels, which have been linked to health risks, including cancer.