Posted Feb. 18, 2013

The Watershed Improvement Review Board recently approved eleven applications totaling $959,684 in grants to support projects that will improve water quality or reduce flooding in Iowa.

The grant funds will be matched by recipients, who will provide $3,171,997 in funding from the local communities to support these projects. As a result, $4.1 million will be going to improve priority watersheds throughout the state.

“These projects are a partnership between federal, state and local organizations that are committed to improving Iowa’s water quality,” said Bill Northey, Iowa secretary of agriculture. “By supporting projects that address runoff and drainage, sedimentation, urban stormwater, groundwater pollution, flooding, and a number of other issues, these projects are focused on issues that directly impact the state’s waterways and water quality.”

The approved projects have already completed watershed assessments that identified critical water resource areas and will focus on implementing specific water quality or flood reduction improvements. The projects will start after a grant agreement is signed between the applicant and the Watershed Improvement Review Board.

Soil and water conservation districts, public water supply utilities, counties, county conservation boards, cities, and local watershed improvement committees were eligible to apply. Individual projects could request up to $100,000.

The Watershed Improvement Review Board is comprised of representatives from agriculture, drinking water and wastewater utilities, environmental organizations, agribusiness, and the conservation community along with two state senators and two state representatives. It is anticipated that another request for applications will be announced later this year.

The approved grants are:

The following projects have been tentatively approved and will be funded when unused funds from completed watershed projects that came in under-budget are returned to the Watershed Improvement Fund.