04-23-2024 Secretary Naig Announces Investments in 14 Iowa Urban Water Quality Projects

DAVENPORT, Iowa (Apr. 23, 2024) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will invest in 14 urban water quality projects within communities of all sizes across the state. Secretary Naig made the announcement with city leaders from Davenport at an event at Goose Creek Park, the location of one of the new water quality projects.

Utilizing funding from the state’s Water Quality Initiative (WQI) and other sources, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will provide cost-share grants that cover up to 50 percent of the total cost of each project. The Department is investing nearly $3.6 million, which will leverage an overall investment of approximately $10 million across the 14 projects.

“Regardless of whether you live in a big city, a small town or on a family farm, all Iowans can play an active role in conserving and protecting our precious natural resources, including our soil and water. Over the past decade, the Department has invested in more than 120 urban water quality projects, working alongside local partners to accelerate our statewide water quality progress,” said Secretary Naig. “Through this exciting partnership with the City of Davenport on the Goose Creek project, we will demonstrate how innovative practices can both improve the quality of the water leaving a residential area while also providing habitat and recreation for those enjoying a community park.”

The Department provides financial and technical assistance to the communities and organizations implementing these urban water quality practices. To receive state funding, the urban water quality projects must include education and outreach components and involve local partners. These community-based projects raise awareness about new stormwater management methods and encourage others to adopt similar practices to improve water quality.

“Davenport is thrilled to learn that a project aimed at improving water quality and restoring the streambank on one of our local waterways, Goose Creek, has been selected to receive funding,” said Mike Matson, Mayor of Davenport. “The project was chosen among 13 other water quality projects in Iowa, and is an important step towards enhancing the quality of water and habitat both locally and downstream.”

These urban conservation projects include water quality practices like bioretention cells, bioswales, native plantings, permeable pavers, rain gardens, soil quality restoration, and wetlands among many other proven practices.
2024 Projects listed in alphabetical order by location:

Algona
Smith Lake Bioretention Cell
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $24,000
A bioretention cell will be constructed at Smith Lake by the Kossuth County Conservation Board. This practice will intercept runoff from an asphalt parking lot adjacent to the Water’s Edge Nature Center. The biocell will serve as a valuable filter for the water before it enters Smith Lake. Given the project’s close proximity to the nature center, students and visitors will learn about the importance of stormwater management, water quality and native plants.

Altoona
Townsend Park Watershed Stormwater Improvements
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $500,000
Townsend Pond is the prominent feature in one of Altoona's newest public parks. It serves a 214-acre residential watershed. This pond outlets to Little Fourmile, a tributary of Fourmile Creek, which flows into the Des Moines River. A sediment forebay will be constructed and the outlet structure will be updated to manage both small and large storm events. The project will help to reduce erosion and nutrients, increase the ecological value of the basin and promote community recreation. This practice is in a highly visible location and presents a strong opportunity for water quality improvement that can be recognized and enjoyed by the surrounding community.

Belle Plaine
Belle Plaine Wellfield Wetland Restoration Project
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $250,000
A stormwater wetland will be constructed at Belle Plaine’s wellfield. This project will improve the water quality of stormwater runoff from 385 acres of rural and urban areas. The completed wetland will have the capability to retain and facilitate the slow release of water from storm events, an important component of reducing the quantity of nutrients in the water. This project will benefit the recharge zone of the wellfield and provide wildlife habitat.

Bloomfield
Fox River-Bloomfield Square Permeable Pavers with Sidewalk Phase 2
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $216,250
The City of Bloomfield is updating the Historical Bloomfield Square north and west sidewalks by installing permeable pavers and bioretention cells. These practices intercept stormwater from the sidewalks and filter it before releasing it to storm drains, rivers and streams. The city is in the final stages of Phase 1 by replacing the south side of the square using funding from the Department’s 2022 investment in this project. 

Clive
Stormwater Basin Water Quality Retrofits – Alices Road to 163rd Street
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $228,775
The City of Clive is designing a series of retrofits for dry detention basins that drain to Little Walnut Creek between Alice’s Road and 163rd Street. The proposed elements of the project include soil quality restoration, bioretention cell installation and outfall retrofits. These practices are part of a whole-basin effort to improve water quality.

Davenport
Goose Creek Park Bioretention Cell Project
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $99,500
The City of Davenport will construct a series of practices that will capture urban runoff from a residential neighborhood near Goose Creek Park. With the goal of improving the water quality of Goose Creek, project practices include two bioretention cells and a series of innovative step pools within Goose Creek Park that will slow and cool runoff and capture nutrients. The urban setting allows for visibility of the practices to the public for educational purposes but also provides additional benefits as the practices can treat runoff close to its source.

Des Moines
City of Des Moines Soil Quality Restoration Batch and Build Program
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $100,000
The City of Des Moines will encourage residents to properly manage stormwater on their properties through the use of stormwater best management practices. The city will leverage funding to implement their first Soil Quality Restoration (SQR) batch and build project by partnering with 160 residents covering 17 acres. SQR improves the infiltration of stormwater, which therefore reduces runoff.

Durant
Feldhan Park/Mud Creek Storm Water Quality and Wetland Initiative
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $496,559
A vegetated swale will capture and filter stormwater from a new development area of Durant and convey the water to a stormwater wetland to be built in Feldhan Park. These practices will reduce sediment and nutrients from being released to Mud Creek. The park setting offers an opportunity for community residents to observe how these practices function and improve water quality.

Hudson
Hudson Wetland Park Restoration Project
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $190,900
The City of Hudson will restore an oxbow wetland and create two stormwater wetlands within the Black Hawk Creek Watershed, adjacent to a new urban development. These practices improve water quality, reduce localized flooding and create beneficial wildlife habitat. This project will serve as a demonstration site to educate and encourage further adoption of stormwater management by outdoor recreators, paddlers, landowners, developers and municipalities. 

Jesup
Jesup Stormwater Wetland
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $175,000
The Jesup wastewater treatment plant was recently updated, which included taking one settling basin offline. The depressed area of approximately two acres is an ideal location for constructing a stormwater wetland to treat a 33-acre drainage area. The wetland will be able to manage small and large storm events due to the size of the current basin. The project will directly improve the water quality of the adjacent tributary and ultimately improve water quality downstream, including the Cedar River.

Johnston
Corteva Wetland Project
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $389,000
Polk County has partnered with Corteva to construct wetlands and floodplain improvements on its 1,100-acre corporate campus along Beaver Creek in Johnston. This project will use three different wetland types, floodplain habitat restoration and native landscaping to treat both urban and agricultural drainage on a site that will become a centerpiece educational resource for many visitors.

Perry
Downtown Improvements Phase I
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $250,000
The City of Perry will use stormwater best management practices throughout its downtown streetscape project. This includes permeable pavers throughout an open parking lot and on streets as well as several bioretention cells. The improvements will treat water from highly impervious surfaces and reduce the runoff from these areas. This project provides a great opportunity for the city to showcase urban water quality throughout a popular downtown area.

Urbandale
Hickman Road and Interstate 35\80 Interchange Reconstruction Stormwater Treatment
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $279,500
The City of Urbandale is partnering with the City of Clive and the Iowa Department of Transportation to implement stormwater management practices into the reconstruction of the Hickman Road and Interstate 35\80 interchange. The first phase will include bioswales and regenerative conveyance step pools to treat and control the flow of stormwater into the road ditches. Additional stormwater management practices will be included in future phases of the reconstruction project.

Waterloo
Sunnyside Creek Watershed Water Quality Wet Pond
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Investment: $400,000
Waterloo will construct a 14-acre wet pond and an adjoining wetland within the Sunnyside Creek watershed that is connected to Black Hawk Creek and the Cedar River. The project will treat runoff from 375 acres of agricultural land and a future development area. The pond will use a multistage outlet to control the flow from various storm events. The pond and wetland will provide wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.