Environmental Grant Program

2012 Environmental Grant Recipients

Iowa American Water will award over $7,000 in grants to three local watershed protection projects as part of its 2012 Environmental Grant Program.  Grant recipients include:

Living Lands & Waters will receive its requested $3,500 grant in full for the Great Mississippi River Clean Up. The effort will take place on July 7, 2012 in the Clinton and Camanche areas where about 100 volunteers are expected to remove about 10 tons of debris from the Mississippi River.

River Action, Inc. will receive a $2,200 grant for its One Watershed Education Series that is aimed at creating a culture of conservation, more voluntary use of best management practices for runoff, and policies that encourage public participation in conservation.

Keep Scott County Beautiful will receive its requested $1,500 grant in full for the Xstream Cleanup 2012 effort that will be held on August 11, 2012.  The effort is a Quad-City wide cleanup of streams, creeks, drainage areas and sections of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers.  About 1,500 volunteers are expected to participate.

For more information about the program, contact Lisa Reisen at 563-468-9221 or Lisa.Reisen@amwater.com . 

2011 Environmental Grant Recipients

Eastern Iowa Community College District’s “Resurrecting the Wetlands: The Story of the Nahant Marsh” film will educate viewers on the importance of wetlands, their role in protecting and enhancing water quality, and the history and restoration of Nahant Marsh. The film will be shown on WQPT-TV and DVD copies will be distributed to local educators to be used as a classroom teaching tool for teaching about water quality issues. The goal of the project is to reach 100,000 WQPT viewers as well as 6,000 area students. Eastern Iowa Community College District was awarded $2,000 for the project.

City of Davenport Public Works’ Landscape Partner Program will provide resources (workshops, kits and a tour) to landscape contractors in order to decrease the negative impact and increase the positive impact they have on local waterways and water quality. A $1,700 grant was awarded to this program.

Living Lands & Waters, Inc. was awarded a $1,500 grant for its Great Mississippi River Clean Up. Approximately 1000-1500 volunteers between St. Paul MN and St. Louis MO will gather to clean up an estimated 75 tons of debris from the Upper Mississippi River as part of the 2nd annual GMRC. This will occur through a series of 4 regional events with two being held in Iowa American Water’s service areas in Clinton and the Quad Cities.

River Action, Inc. QC Wild Places Project will improve 16,000 acres of conservation for habitat, outdoor recreation and public education, market it to the general public, and through a unique partnership, ensure sustainability. River Action, Inc. was awarded $1,000.

2010 Environmental Grant Recipients

Partners of Scott County’s Infiltrate Iowa Project will promote and install infiltration practices that improve water quality, reduce flooding and provide habitat for wildlife such as birds, butterflies and insects.

The Waste Commission of Scott County’s Operation Medicine Cabinet program is a three-day event to collect pharmaceuticals free of charge from Scott County residents. The program will also educate the public that flushing pharmaceuticals poses a risk to our drinking water.

Keep Scott County Beautiful’s Xstream Cleanup 2010 represents Chad Pregracke’s Living Lands and Waters local annual cleanup of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The effort aims to clean over 30 streams and near stream sites in the Quad Cities.

2009 Environmental Grant Recipients

River Action, Inc. of Davenport will receive a $3,300 grant to fund the Duck Creek Buffer Program. The program includes planting 30 feet of native grasses and forbs along Duck Creek’s main stern and tributaries to improve water quality, provide habitat for wildlife, prevent erosion and sediment delivery, and encourage best stormwater management practices.

2008 Environmental Grant Recipients

A $5,000 environmental grant was awarded to support River Action’s Quad City Watershed Plan.  The goals of this project are to improve water quality and physical and aesthetic characteristics around the watershed, as well as to provide education and resources to implement improvements.

2007 Environmental Grant Recipients

The City of Davenport's Parks and Recreation Department received $4,000 for a Sustainable Green Gardens Project to build a public green roof and rain garden for community education about sustainable environmental practices.