Des Moines – Governor Reynolds today (Friday) announced that the cities of Dakota City, Early, Fontanelle, Fort Atkinson, Janesville, Ladora, Lone Tree, Melcher-Dallas, Preston, Runnells and Russell have been awarded a total of $2 million in grants to advance water quality projects. The funding is made available through the Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Financial Assistance Program, which was created as a part of Senate File 512, the first legislation signed into law by Governor Reynolds in January 2018.

The Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Financial Assistance Program receives a portion of the tax on metered water and had $2 million available for allocation in 2020. Grants will be awarded through the program on an annual basis through 2029 and available funds will increase each year.

The 2020 awards are the second year of awards through the program. In 2019, eight communities were awarded a total of $775,000. The program is expected to have approximately $5 million in available funds in 2021 and will climb to more than $6 million in 2029, based on the increase of the portion of tax that will be allocated to the program.

The 2020 program received 23 applications requesting more than $6 million in water quality investments.
A committee consisting of designees from the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship judged the Wastewater and Drinking Water Financial Assistance Program applications based on the program’s priorities.

Priorities for grant awards include: Disadvantaged communities; Projects that will significantly improve water quality in their watershed; Projects that use alternative wastewater treatment technologies; Communities with the highest sewer or water rates; Projects that use technology to address nutrient reduction; and projects to address improvements to drinking water source waters.

2020 Wastewater and Drinking Water Financial Assistance Program Grant Awards