‘Water testing sets record in 2025, with Iowans leading the way’
Reporting from the Cedar Rapids Gazette explains how Iowans participated in a record-breaking year for volunteer water testing in 2025. The Izaak Walton League’s Nitrate Watch program saw more requests…
Small Wins, Big Impact: Saving Reston’s Streams from Salt Overload
With so much heavy news about our local waterways lately, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But this past week, a “small win” in Reston reminds us why community vigilance—and programs…
‘Iowans drive record nitrate test requests’
Summary statistics from the Nitrate Watch 2025 annual report are shared in reporting from Axios Des Moines. These statistics tell a story of high nitrate concentrations in waterways across Iowa…
Less Salt, Safer Water: Highlights from Winter Salt Week 2026
Winter Salt Week 2026 (January 26-30) just wrapped up, and what a week it was! Originally a local Wisconsin initiative, this movement has evolved into a national awareness campaign, bringing…
‘In Iowa, many rivers and lakes improve briefly, then fall back into impairment’
The article from Investigate Midwest reports that while some Iowa rivers and lakes occasionally show short-term improvements in water quality, most remain persistently listed as “impaired” due to pollution from…
Major Sewage Spill in the Potomac River
A catastrophic sewage spill, described by officials as one of the largest in U.S. history, is currently ongoing into the Potomac River. On January 19, a sanitary sewer overflow collapsed…
Meet a Monitor: Grace Corbett
Growing up in a rural area surrounded by rivers and creeks, Grace has always been interested in the relationship between communities and waterways. So, when it came time to choose a topic for her senior capstone project, Grace decided to focus on water pollution…
Save the Date! The DMV Winter Salt Week Open House is Coming Up
On Saturday, January 31, the Izaak Walton League of America is excited to host a program focused on road salt pollution, monitoring, and solutions. While salt keeps our roads safe…
Meet a Monitor: Fred Bailey
Fred Bailey first joined the Izaak Walton League because he was looking for a shooting range in his area, and a Google search brought him to the Arlington-Fairfax Chapter in northern Virginia…
Your kit will include a bottle containing 25 nitrate test strips which you can use to test your water source(s) throughout the year. You’ll also receive postcards explaining how to use your nitrate test strips and how to share your Nitrate Watch results on the Clean Water Hub.
Your kit will include four test strips so you can test your waterway throughout the season. You’ll also receive a chart to help you interpret your results and a postcard with instructions for completing a Salt Watch test and reporting your findings.