Several Siouxland communities receiving state money for water quality infrastructure

DES MOINES, Iowa (KTIV) - A total of 23 Iowa communities are being awarded grants to advance water quality projects, and four of them are in northwest Iowa.

Those three communities are Danbury, Mondamin, Primghar and Remsen. Danbury and Primghar are both getting $500,000 for wastewater treatment projects while Mondamin and Remsen are getting $150,000 and $500,000 respectively for drinking water treatment projects. This money comes from $9 million worth of grants made available through the Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Financial Assistance Program.

“The first bill I signed into law as Governor in 2018 created a long-term funding source to assist communities in upgrading their water infrastructure,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. “This program has done just that, with a total of more than $18 million in investments leveraging more than $375 million in additional funds invested in critical water quality infrastructure projects across the state.”

In 2022, state officials say the program received 60 applications requesting more than $24 million in water quality grants. A committee of members from the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship judged the 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
Projects to address improvements to drinking water source waters.

Officials say the program receives a portion of the tax on metered water and had more than $9 million available for allocation in 2022. Grants will be awarded through the program on an annual basis through 2039.