DNR proposes new restrictions to prevent Ocheyedan River from drying up

A rural water system in northwest Iowa would be required to idle its wells near the Ocheyedan River when its flow is too low, according to a Department of Natural Resources plan to keep the river from running dry.

The Osceola County Rural Water System had sought the opposite and suggested removing its requirement to photograph the status of the river in low-flow conditions. The utility alleges that its role in the river's status is relatively inconsequential. But the state seeks to impose more stringent restrictions on the water utility, according to a DNR letter.

A two-mile section of the riv...