DES MOINES, Iowa—Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced this week that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is now accepting pre-applications for cost-share funding to support urban conservation projects.
“Everyone has a role to play in improving our water quality and these locally led projects are great ways for communities of all sizes to help manage storm water, reduce runoff, and protect their local water sources,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “As we continue to scale up and accelerate our water quality efforts, this funding is available for first-time projects as well as for communities to build upon larger, ongoing efforts.”
Examples of eligible urban conservation projects include bioretention cells, bioswales, native landscaping, permeable pavement, rain gardens, tree trenches, and wetlands. These practices capture and treat rainwater to help reduce sediment entering local waterways.
The proposed urban water quality improvement projects should be spearheaded and implemented by local leaders, organizations, and volunteers. Successful pre-applications should leverage existing partnerships with local stakeholders who can help contribute financial and technical resources to ensure their success. Cities, counties, county conservation boards, Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCDs), or other units of government, not-for-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs), public water supply utilities or watershed management organizations are eligible to submit pre-applications.
Projects should include a strong education and outreach component that helps raise awareness among homeowners, municipalities, businesses, and other communities to encourage the adoption of urban water quality projects around the state of Iowa.
The pre-application must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 18, 2022. Pre-application guidance can be found on the Department’s website or by contacting the Division of Soil Conservation and Water Quality at 515-281-5851. Stakeholders will be notified by December 16, 2022 if they are invited to submit a full application. Full applications are due on February 3, 2023 and selected projects will be announced in February 2023.
The Department has offered cost share to help support urban conservation projects through the state’s Water Quality Initiative (WQI) funding since FY2015. To date, the state has awarded over $8.1 million in funding to support 94 urban water quality projects. The state’s funding has spurred an additional $29.4 million in project contributions from private partners and landowners.
(Contributed press release, IDALS)
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