The Iowa Supreme Court will weigh in on legal questions that could be crucial in deciding whether Des Moines Water Works can seek damages from drainage districts in three north Iowa counties for nitrate-laden drinking water.
 
Federal Judge Mark Bennett filed an order Monday sending the questions to the Iowa Supreme Court, given the case's state importance and "the novelty" of the utility's legal arguments.
 
"I believe that the interests of the parties and the public are best served" with rulings from the Iowa Supreme Court, Bennett wrote.
 
The judge said he needs the legal answers before he can rule on a request from the drainage districts in Sac, Buena Vista and Calhoun counties to dismiss part of the complaints in the Des Moines utility's lawsuit.
 
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