Hola Iowa
The new Farm to Faucet law sends $25 million to Central Iowa Water Works and redirects state funding toward water treatment, monitoring and conservation projects.
Iowa will direct new water-quality funding toward drinking water infrastructure, nitrate removal and watershed conservation after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed House File 2771 into law Monday.
The agriculture and natural resources budget includes the Farm to Faucet package, a nearly $320 million water-quality investment over 12 years. The law sends a one-time $25 million payment to Central Iowa Water Works to expand nitrate removal capacity over the next three years.
Central Iowa Water Works will receive $25 million for nitrate removal
Central Iowa Water Works, known as CIWW, is the regional drinking water authority for several Des Moines-area cities, utilities and rural providers. The system serves more than 600,000 Iowans across rural, suburban and urban communities in central Iowa.
The new law directs $25 million to CIWW to expand infrastructure and increase nitrate removal capacity. The funding comes as the regional system prepares for high summer water demand and continues managing elevated nitrate concentrations in source waters.
CIWW has said sustained nitrate levels in the Des Moines River, Raccoon River and Infiltration Gallery have limited the system’s ability to fully replenish summer reserves. The utility said it has used stored supplies earlier and more strategically while working to maintain reliable service.
The law redirects water-quality money over 12 years
House File 2771 restructures Iowa’s water excise tax distribution formula and makes one-time investments in water treatment facilities, rural water systems and conservation practices.
The Farm to Faucet package will provide nearly $320 million in water-quality investments over 12 years, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
The law also increases funding for the Iowa Finance Authority’s Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Financial Assistance Program. That program provides grants to Iowa communities for water treatment infrastructure projects.
Under the new law, the program will receive higher annual funding and an additional one-time $8 million investment. The maximum grant award will increase from $500,000 to $1 million.
Rural communities will get access to low-interest water infrastructure loans
The package creates the Rural Iowa Infrastructure Bank, a revolving loan fund for small and mid-size communities.
The fund will provide 1% interest loans, or lower, for water treatment infrastructure in communities with populations under 11,000.
The rural infrastructure funding is separate from the $25 million directed to Central Iowa Water Works. It is designed for smaller communities that need to upgrade drinking water or wastewater systems but may not have the same financial capacity as larger cities.
Monitoring and watershed work will receive new funding
The law allocates an additional $500,000 per year to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for statewide water-quality monitoring. That brings the state investment in monitoring to $3.5 million per year.
The package also provides the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship an estimated $52 million in new funding over 12 years for conservation practices in the Greater Des Moines watershed.
That watershed covers 22 counties in northwest, north central and central Iowa. Funding can support practices such as cover crops, edge-of-field buffers, wetlands and grazing systems.
The goal is to support work upstream from the source waters that eventually flow into the Central Iowa Water Works service area.
The University of Iowa river sensor network did not receive direct funding
The new law does not include direct funding for a network of river sensors operated by the University of Iowa.
Iowa Public Radio reported that the system is staying afloat this year with county-level funding. The Farm to Faucet package instead sends additional monitoring money to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
State officials have framed the new funding formula as a shift toward programs they say are effective and urgent. Environmental advocates and some Democratic lawmakers have criticized the package for not doing more to address pollution sources and for not prioritizing the University of Iowa sensor network.
The agriculture budget also supports local food and animal disease response
The agriculture and natural resources budget includes funding beyond water quality.
Reynolds said the bill includes increased funding for Choose Iowa, a state program that connects consumers with food grown, raised and made in Iowa. The bill also supports the state’s preparation and response work for foreign animal disease.
Reynolds also signed the Iowa Farm Act, a separate agriculture package that includes greater confidentiality for producers during animal disease outbreaks and tax changes for honeybee producers and rural veterinarians.
Central Iowa residents are being asked to use water wisely
Central Iowa Water Works has urged residents to use water thoughtfully as the system prepares for summer. The utility said lawn watering can account for up to 40% of the region’s total water use during summer demand periods.
CIWW said recent rainfall and cooler temperatures have provided enough moisture that most lawns do not currently need irrigation. The utility said keeping irrigation systems off for now can help preserve water supplies for later in the season.
Residents served by CIWW members should continue working with their local water utility or city department for customer service, billing and account questions. The Farm to Faucet law goes into effect July 1, 2026.
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