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(Des Moines, IA) -- The state of Iowa is awarding more than $8 million dollars in matching grants to help five companies upgrade water systems. A manufacturer in Boone is getting a nearly $4 (M) million dollar grant for a reverse osmosis system. AGCertain in Boone estimates the new system will cut their water usage from the City of Boone by nearly 85-percent. The company also expects to cut water transportation costs by more than a million dollars each year.
Matching grants are also going to:
Arconic in Davenport. The company, which makes fabricated aluminum products is getting a $2.2 million grant to reclaim and reuse spent process wastewater from production. The company estimates the project will reduce their water withdrawal by nearly 77%
CJ Bio, Fort Dodge is getting a $1.8 million grant. The company makes amino acids for swine and poultry feed. The grant will pay for a large-scale reverse osmosis water purification system. The company estimates that this project will reduce their water draws from the City of Fort Dodge by approximately 600,000 gallons/day and their wastewater discharge by approximately 760,000 gallons/day.
Hormel Foods in Dubuque is getting a $57,813 grant. The funds will be use to implement utilization of excess reverse osmosis concentrate water that is currently being sent to the industrial wastewater system, which will increase system efficiency, reduce chemical usage and lower costs. The company estimates that this project will reduce their water demand from the City of Dubuque by 9% and their wastewater discharge by nearly 12%.
Prairie Farms in Dubuque is getting a $275,350 grant. The Dairy plans to use it to upgrade compressor system to reduce incoming water and reduce the discharge into the wastewater treatment system. The upgrade is expected to cut annual water costs by $85,000.
The awards were made through Iowa’s Water Infrastructure Fund (WIF).
“Iowa has a long history of innovation to improve water quality and sustainability, and these projects continue that legacy,” said Gov. Reynolds. “We rely on our land and water to provide for Iowa’s future generations, which is why we remain focused on protecting, preserving, and restoring Iowa’s water resources.”
These awards are a part of a $100 million investment in water infrastructure and water quality efforts for the State of Iowa aimed at reducing excess nutrients, improving public health, promoting reuse of water and wastewater, and providing significant economic benefits to communities and the state.