Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says $25 million is being redirected to expand nitrate removal capacity in central Iowa.
During a press conference on Friday, Reynolds said Central Iowa Water Works will use the money to double the capacity of its nitrate removal system over the next three years.
“Des Moines is growing fast metro area in the Midwest, increasing nearly 7% since 2020,” Reynolds said. “and so as the population grows, demand for water grows and so much the infrastructure at Central Iowa Water Works.”
Governor Reynolds says her administration is shifting how state funds for water quality projects are distributed.
“To leverage what’s working and better reflect today’s water quality needs,” Reynolds said. “In short, it shifts money to fund the most urgent needs and the most effective programs.”
As part of the funding announcement, the Iowa DNR will be getting half a million dollars to maintain a statewide water monitoring system.
Water quality has been a major topic in Iowa. The Iowa Farmers Union has said the state “has a serious issue with polluted runoff from our agricultural land threatening the safety of our drinking water and recreational waters.”
Last month, State Ag Secretary Mike Naig announced a nitrogen soil sampling project that aims to help farmers save money and improve water quality. Naig said the three-year initiative will target areas upstream from the Des Moines metro.
Participating farmers will be asked to provide basic field information such as crop rotation, nitrogen management, manure use and cover crop history, and complete a short, post-season survey. All data will be anonymized and shared with Iowa State University to support ongoing nitrogen research and the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative’s N-FACT rate recommendations.
