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curred in by the Natural Resources Council and are being submitted to the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration for review. 2. Certification of Operators of Public Water Supply and Waste Water Treatment Plants Under the provisions of an Act of the Sixty- first General Assembly (Iowa Acts, 61 G.A., Ch. 162; Ch. 136A, Iowa Code 1966), the Commis- sioner of Public Health is required to classify all water treatment plants, water distribution systems, and wastewater treatment plants affecting the pub- lic welfare with regard to the degree of skill, know- ledge, and experience that an operator must have to operate such facilities to protect the public health and prevent pollution. The Commissioner appoints a five-member board which board con- ducts examinations leading to the required certifi- cation. Certificates must be renewed annually. 3. Flood Plain Regulations Under the provisions of Chapter 374, Acts of the Sixty-first General Assembly of Iowa (Section 455A.35, Iowa Code 1966), the Iowa Natural Re- sources Council is authorized to establish and en- force regulations for the orderly development and wise use of the flood plains of any river or stream within the state. The Council is directed to deter- mine the characteristics offloods which reasonably may be expected to occur and may by order estab- lish encroachment limits, protection methods, and minimum protection levels appropriate to the flooding characteristics of the stream and to rea- sonable use of the flood plains. The Council may cooperate with and assist local units of government in the establishment of such regulations. The Act amended the enabling statutes to speci- fically authorize cities, towns and counties to zone with respect to flood hazard. Any such ordinance or regulation must be approved by the Resources Council prior to adoption by the local governing body. 4. Comprehensive Planning of Water Resources Iowa State law regarding comprehensive plan- ning of its water resources was clarified and the duties of the Natural Resources Council with respect thereto were enlarged to include entering into negotiations and agreements with the Federal government with regard to inclusion of conserva- tion storage features for water supply in authorized federal projects. 34 PROGRAMS Programs of the State of Iowa with regard to its water and related land resources are described generally in pre- vious sections of this report relating to Programs and Activities of specific state departments, political subdivi- sions, and special-purpose districts. Research programs and programs of data collection and interpretation are carried on by various state agencies primarily in cooperation with federal agencies. In addi- tion, the Iowa State Water Resources Research Institu te administered cooperatively by the University of Iowa and Iowa State University has been designated as the participating institution under the federal. Water Re- sources Research Act of 1964. Many research programs are carried out by various departments of the universi- ties, often in cooperation with state or federal agencies. Research In addition to specific research projects carried on by various departments of the State Universities, research activities of the State include programs in the following areas: a. Ground water research, including investigations to locate ground water supplies and to ascertain sources of ground water. b. Statistical analyses of stream flow data. c. Effects of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer on fish and wildlife. d. Economic factors in the establishment of water quality standards. e. Moisture movement to vertical sinks in water un- saturated soils. f. Recession characteristics of Iowa streams. g. Competitive recreational uses of selected Iowa lakes. h. Discharge valley form relationships of selected Iowa streams i. Breakdown of organic pollu tants by biological and chemical action. J. Movement of radionuclides through soil forma- tions. k. Properties of tile drainage water. i. Fiow in river bends. m. Reoxygenation of Iowa streams. Data Collection and Interpretation Iowa has maintained programs of hydrologic data col- lection since the inception of the Geological Survey in 1892. The Survey is the repository for all basic geologic data obtained in the State and, in cooperation with the U. S. Geological Survey, is responsible for the collection