(DES MOINES, Iowa) – Governor Reynolds recently announced that 16 communities have been awarded a total of $8 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 2018. Among the Drinking Water Financial Assistance grants, was $500,000 to the Guthrie County City of Jamaica.

The Governor says  “This was the first bill I signed into law as Governor in 2018s.  Since then, the program has assisted 68 communities through a total of nearly $26 million in grants and an additional $550 million in other funds leveraged to advance water quality infrastructure projects throughout the state.”

The 2023 program received 48 applicants requesting more than $23 million in water quality grants. A committee consisting of designees from the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and 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. The program receives a portion of the tax on metered water and had $8 million available for allocation in 2023. Grants will be awarded through the program on an annual basis through 2039.

The Wastewater program has assisted 68 communities through a total of nearly $26 million in water quality grants since the first awards were granted in 2019. The program is expected to have approximately $7 million in available funds in 2024 based on the portion of tax that will be allocated to the program.