Last week, 12 Iowa cities were awarded state grants totaling $820,840 to use for urban water quality demonstration projects through the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Iowa Water Quality Initiative.

Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey made the announcement at a press conference at the Capitol in Des Moines. The 12 urban water quality projects selected to receive this funding will focus on reducing the rate at which stormwater enters Iowa’s rivers and creeks by capturing and absorbing it through the use of various conservation measures.

The 12 projects will provide nearly $1.18 million in matching funds to support water quality improvement efforts as well as other in-kind contributions. The efforts are aimed at improving water quality and reducing flooding. Communities participating in the newly announced projects are: Ankeny, Burlington, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Clive, Denison, Des Moines, Emmetsburg, Readlyn, Slater, Spencer, Urbandale, Windsor Heights and Waterloo.

The Iowa Water Quality Initiative was started by Branstad in 2013 to fund water quality projects that can serve as examples of best practices for cities and individuals. There are already 22 active or completed urban demonstration projects across the state, and 23 that have an agricultural or rural area focus, for a total of 45. 

Next step for Iowa Water Quality Initiative
“Water quality is a very important issue, and this announcement is the next step for the Iowa Water Quality Initiative, which is continuing the effort to implement the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy,” said Branstad. “Lt. Gov. Reynolds and I have already visited a couple of the demonstration projects in place and have seen firsthand the work being done by Iowans on their farms and in their communities.”

Reynolds added, “We’re excited to get these 12 new projects underway. I commend and congratulate these communities for taking the necessary steps to support water quality in Iowa. We also look forward to continuing our conversation with the Iowa Legislature in the weeks ahead to finalize a plan that will continue to grow water quality efforts in the state.”

Northey said, “The water quality demonstration projects in Iowa, both in urban and in rural areas, have been incredibly valuable in helping us learn how to best implement these practices and have created a strong foundation as we look to further expand our water quality efforts. There is a lot of work to do, but we have laid a very strong foundation.” He is encouraging the Iowa Legislature to identify funding this session for continued work on water quality.

The projects will focus on conservation measures that capture and allow stormwater to be absorbed into the ground and reduce a property's contribution to water quality degradation, stream flows and flooding. These projects also include strong partnerships and outreach/education components to disseminate information to promote increased awareness and adoption of available practices and technologies for achieving reductions in nutrient loads to surface waters.

Various practices will be used
Practices that will be installed as part of these projects include bioretention cells, bioswales, native landscaping, permeable pavement, rain gardens, sedimentation basins, soil quality restoration, wetlands and other practices. More information on these and other urban water quality practices is at cleanwateriowa.org/urban-1.

Northey said the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received 34 pre-applications for this funding after it was announced last fall. Of these, 14 projects were invited to submit full proposals. Then 12 projects were selected to receive funding through the Iowa Water Quality Initiative.

Iowa has four urban conservationists working with communities, businesses, developers and homeowners on practices that can be used in urban areas to reduce runoff. This is the third time urban conservation projects have been funded through the Water Quality Initiative, and there are currently 22 active or completed urban demonstration projects across the state. The state has awarded the initial 22 projects over $1.63 million in funding. Partners and landowners participating in the projects are providing over $5 million of their own money to support these urban conservation efforts.

Background on Iowa Water Quality Initiative
The Iowa Water Quality Initiative was established in 2013 to help carry out the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, which is a science- and technology-based approach to achieving a 45% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus losses to the state's waters. The strategy brings together both point sources, such as municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities, and nonpoint sources, including farm fields and urban stormwater runoff, to address these issues.

The initiative seeks to harness the collective ability of both private and public resources and organizations to deliver a clear and consistent message to stakeholders to reduce nutrient loss and improve water quality.

In addition to these 12 new projects, 45 demonstration projects are currently located across Iowa to help implement and demonstrate water quality practices. This includes 16 targeted watershed projects, seven projects focused on expanding the use and innovative delivery of water quality practices and 22 urban water quality demonstration projects. More than 150 organizations are participating in these projects. These partners will provide $25.28 million to go with the $16.09 million in state funding going to these projects.

More than $340 million in state and federal funds have been directed to programs with water quality benefits in Iowa last year. This total does not include the cost-share amount farmers pay to match state and federal programs and funds farmers spent to build practices without government assistance. More information about the initiative can be found at cleanwateriowa.org.