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91st General Assembly · Funnel one-pager · Monday, November 9, 2026

HF 861: Relating to beneficial use in the context of water allocation

Died when the session ended · The General Assembly adjourned on October 2, 2026. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died.

What it does

The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. This bill relates to beneficial use of water allocation. Under current law, for the purposes of Code chapter 455B, subchapter III, part 4, “beneficial use” is defined as the application of water to a useful purpose that inures to the benefit of the water user and subject to the user’s dominion and control but does not include the waste or pollution of water. The bill strikes the definition and provides that beneficial use is determined by the department of natural resources on a case-by-case basis when determining whether to grant a permit for the diversion, storage, or withdrawal of water, and must not be based on the category of use.

Sponsors

Rep. Eddie Andrews (R), Rep. Cindy Golding (R), Rep. Helena Hayes (R), Rep. Bob Henderson (R), Rep. Mark I. Thompson (R)

Cost

No fiscal note

Lobbying · 3 for, 0 against

For: Episcopal Diocese of Iowa; Iowa Chapter of Sierra Club; VALOR Iowa

In plain words

  1. March 7, 2025Filed in the House
  2. April 3, 2025Sent to the House Natural Resources committee

From public records at legis.iowa.gov, compiled by Funnel (iowafunnel.com), an independent, nonpartisan site. Current as of Monday, November 9, 2026. https://iowafunnel.com/bills/91/HF861