Ocheyedan River again goes dry despite new state requirements

A segment of the Ocheyedan River in northwest Iowa has run dry again near the point where a rural water utility draws drinking water from the ground, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The department recently placed new requirements on the water-use permit for the Osceola County Rural Water System to prevent the river from drying up, which has now happened five times in the past eight years.

Ed Jones, an Osceola County supervisor who lives near the dry segment of the river, said the DNR should prevent the utility from drawing water from wells near the river unless it has ab...