Iowa Food Companies Routinely Violate Water Pollution Permits — and Rarely Face Penalties – sentientmedia.org

Report on Agricultural Sector’s Non-Compliance with Water Quality Standards in Iowa and Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

An analysis of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit violations in Iowa during 2025 reveals systemic non-compliance within the food and agriculture sector. These persistent violations directly contravene the objectives of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The findings indicate a significant gap between regulatory frameworks and enforcement, posing risks to public health, environmental integrity, and the principles of sustainable development.

Analysis of Violations and Impact on SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

In the period from January to August 2025, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued numerous violation letters for non-compliance with NPDES permits. This report focuses on the agricultural sector’s contribution to this issue, which directly undermines SDG Target 6.3: improving water quality by reducing pollution and halving the proportion of untreated wastewater.

Key Findings:

• Scope of Non-Compliance: 38 distinct food and agriculture companies were responsible for 49 separate NPDES permit violations.
• Significant Non-Compliance: Deb El Food Products LLC was cited for “significant noncompliance” after repeatedly discharging wastewater with toxic compounds exceeding permitted limits.
• Regulatory Gaps: Under the Clean Water Act, the majority of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are exempt from requiring NPDES permits for their regular operations. In Iowa, fewer than 4% of CAFOs hold such permits, leaving a substantial portion of agricultural discharge effectively unregulated and hindering progress toward SDG 6.

Implications for SDG 3 (Good Health) and SDG 12 (Responsible Production)

The discharge of untreated or inadequately treated wastewater introduces harmful pollutants into public water systems, creating direct threats to human health and demonstrating a failure in achieving sustainable production patterns.

Public Health Risks (SDG 3)

The violations present a clear challenge to SDG Target 3.9, which aims to reduce illnesses and deaths from hazardous chemicals and water pollution.

1. Nitrate Contamination: High concentrations of nitrates, a common pollutant in agricultural wastewater, pose a life-threatening risk to infants.
2. Carcinogenic Risk: Elevated nitrate levels in drinking water may increase the risk of cancer in adults.
3. System Strain: Municipal water treatment facilities, including advanced operations in Des Moines, struggle to manage the high pollution load from the food and agriculture industry, jeopardizing the safety of drinking water for large populations.

Failure in Responsible Production (SDG 12)

The ongoing violations highlight a disregard for SDG Target 12.4, concerning the environmentally sound management of wastes throughout their life cycle.

• DFA Dairy Brands Fluid LLC: Violated its permit for three consecutive months in 2025 by discharging excessive amounts of nitrogen and ammonia.
• Daybreak Foods: Violated its permit in 2025 despite having updated its agreement in 2024 to raise permitted pollution limits.

Chronic Non-Compliance and Institutional Failures: A Challenge to SDG 16

The pattern of repeated offenses coupled with inadequate enforcement action points to a weakness in institutional accountability, undermining SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), which calls for effective and accountable institutions at all levels.

Case Studies in Recidivism and Weak Enforcement

• Green Plains Renewable Energy: This company has been non-compliant with its NPDES permit every year since 2021. From November 2024 to June 2025, it was non-compliant every month across all tested categories. Despite this long-term record, state enforcement databases show no fiscal penalties have been issued.
• Agri Star LLC: Of the 38 non-compliant agricultural facilities identified in 2025, Agri Star was the only one to be penalized. The company received a $50,000 fine for 60 violations over multiple years. This settlement was described by legal experts involved in a case against the facility as a “Sweetheart Deal,” suggesting that the penalty does not reflect the severity or duration of the violations and fails to serve as an effective deterrent.

The lack of meaningful financial penalties for repeat offenders signals a failure in regulatory oversight. The Iowa DNR did not provide a comment on its criteria for issuing fines. This institutional inaction allows for the continuation of practices that are detrimental to public health, environmental quality, and the achievement of global sustainability targets.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article directly connects water pollution to public health risks. It states that high concentrations of toxic compounds like nitrates in drinking water “can be life-threatening to babies and may increase cancer risk in adults,” linking industrial pollution directly to human health outcomes.
2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
   • This is the central theme of the article. The entire text focuses on the violation of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits by agricultural companies, which leads to the dumping of wastewater with excessive toxic compounds into public waterways. This directly degrades water quality and threatens the safety of water resources.
3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • The article discusses the industrial practices of food and agriculture companies (Deb El Food Products, Daybreak Foods, etc.) that result in pollution. Their failure to properly manage and treat industrial waste (wastewater) before discharge is a clear example of unsustainable production patterns.
4. SDG 14: Life Below Water
   • The discharge of polluted wastewater containing “excessive nitrogen and ammonia” into rivers and streams directly harms aquatic ecosystems. Nutrient pollution from land-based activities is a primary threat to life below water, even in freshwater systems that eventually flow into larger bodies of water.
5. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • The article highlights a failure of institutional oversight and enforcement. It notes that despite hundreds of violations, “only one has been fined,” and describes a state settlement as a “‘Sweetheart Deal.'” The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is portrayed as an institution failing to hold polluters accountable, which undermines the rule of law and effective governance.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.
   • The article’s focus on toxic compounds, nitrates, and their associated health risks like cancer and threats to infants directly relates to this target of reducing illness from water pollution.
2. Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.
   • The core issue discussed is the failure to meet this target. Companies are cited for “dumping wastewater that exceeded the toxic compound limits” and releasing “excessive nitrogen and ammonia,” which directly contradicts the goal of reducing pollution and improving water quality.
3. Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
   • The repeated NPDES permit violations by companies like Green Plains Renewable Energy, which was “noncompliant with its NPDES permit every month,” demonstrate a failure to achieve environmentally sound management of their wastewater.
4. Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including… nutrient pollution.
   • The discharge of wastewater containing nitrogen and ammonia by companies like DFA Dairy Brands Fluid LLC is a direct example of land-based nutrient pollution that degrades freshwater ecosystems and contributes to pollution in larger water bodies downstream.
5. Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
   • The article implies this target is not being met. The fact that out of 38 agricultural violators, “only one has been fined,” and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources “did not respond to an email asking how the agency determines when, or if, it intends to fine a facility,” points to a lack of effective and accountable institutional action.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Concentration of pollutants in water:
   • The article explicitly mentions pollutants like “nitrates,” “nitrogen,” and “ammonia.” The measurement of these compounds in wastewater discharges against the “toxic compound limits set forth in the permit” serves as a direct indicator of water quality and pollution levels (relevant to Target 6.3).
2. Number of non-compliance violations:
   • The article provides specific numbers, such as “38 different agricultural companies received 49 of these letters” and “60 total violations” for one company. The frequency and number of NPDES permit violations are a clear indicator of the failure to manage industrial waste properly (relevant to Target 12.4).
3. Rate of enforcement actions (fines and penalties):
   • The article provides data that can be used as an indicator for institutional accountability (Target 16.6). It states that “Only one of the noncompliant agricultural facilities was penalized in 2025.” The ratio of penalties issued to violations recorded is a powerful metric for measuring institutional effectiveness.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: sentientmedia.org