U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 – 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219 Serving Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations EPA Reaches Settlement for Unauthorized Wetlands Destruction Along Des Moines River Environmental News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Lenexa, Kan., Feb. 23, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the court approval of a settlement agreement with an Ottumwa, Iowa, man and his two companies for alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), including the illegal construction of a recreational vehicle campground in Ottumwa on the Des Moines River. “The Clean Water Act seeks to protect the nation’s water resources,” said David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “Placing unauthorized fill material into rivers and wetlands can degrade watershed health, create loss of wildlife habitat, and deprive downstream landowners and the public from the use and enjoyment of public waters.”