DES MOINES, Iowa — Polk County and the Harkin Institute will hold a highly anticipated public forum on Iowa’s water quality at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium on Monday.

The event has already garnered high interest with over 1,000 people registering for the discussion.

Dr. Adam Shriver is the Director of Wellness at the Harkin Institute, who helped organize this event with Polk County officials. Shriver said the interest in this event is unprecedented in his experience.

“We’re really excited to see the turnout and the energy level on Monday. This is, you know, compared to any other event I’ve organized, the interest in this and the signing up and registrations is just through the roof,” he said.

This will be the first official presentation on the Central Iowa Resource Water Research Assessment that was released on July 1st and reported research from a group of 16 scientists who analyzed the contaminants affecting the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers. For two years, these scientists worked for over 4,000 hours to compile this unbiased and comprehensive report.

Now, Iowans will get to directly hear from four of the scientists at the public forum and discuss key takeaways from the over 200-page report.

This research confirmed that 80 percent of the nitrates in the rivers are directly linked to agriculture. It also analyzed bacteria levels in the rivers and outlined two dozen recommendations to improve water quality.

“Even though it spent quite a bit of time on the nitrate issues, there are actually a host of different issues,” said Shriver. “And the report was really impressive in telling the whole story about Iowa’s practices and rivers.”

Shriver said the recent lawn watering ban, periodic fish kills, and frequent beach closures may all be reasons why Iowans have an elevated interest in the event.

The presentation will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sheslow Auditorium. Participants can register for free to attend the event in person or online.

The Sheslow Auditorium is located at 2507 University Avenue in Des Moines.