"DES MOINES, Iowa — As someone who has spent countless hours rowing along the Des Moines River, Tonya Logan appreciates the city’s vision to create a whitewater course that would draw kayakers to the Iowa capital.
But there’s a dirty secret for Des Moines and many other U.S. cities that want to upgrade their urban waterways into scenic destinations: Much of the water is so polluted with manure that people fear it’s not safe to dip their hands in the current, let alone to swim in it.
“I won’t,” said Logan, who doesn’t touch the water that passes just inches from her as she sits in her slender rowing shell, even on blistering hot days. “The last time I went into the water, I took a long shower and then scrubbed myself with peroxide.” Others have complained of intestinal problems, skin rashes and infections."
Scott McFetridge reports for the Associated Press July 3, 2018.
