Environmental Grant Program

2012 Environmental Grant Program
Iowa American Water Now Accepting Applications

Iowa American Water is now accepting applications for the 2012 Environmental Grant Program. The company will award grants of up to $10,000 to support diverse types of environmental sustainability activities such as watershed cleanups, reforestation efforts, biodiversity projects, streamside buffer restoration projects and hazardous waste collection efforts.

At Iowa American Water, we are committed to protecting the environment in the communities we serve and are proud to support the efforts of local organizations who share our vision.

Established in 2005, our Environmental Grant Program offers funds for innovative, community-based environmental projects that improve, restore or protect the watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies in our local communities. We are pleased to offer this assistance to our community partners, while leveraging local resources and capabilities to make a positive impact on the environment. 

Deadline for entries is March 25, 2012

To qualify for Environmental Grant funding, a proposed project must be:

• Located within an Iowa American Water service area
• Completed between May 1, 2012 and November 30, 2012
• Be a new or innovative community initiative, or serve as significant expansion to an existing program.

For more information, please see our 2012 Program Brochure and Grant Application Form.

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

Trailnet, Inc. - The organization is located in St. Louis, Missouri and is a non-profit organization with a 20-year history of Promoting Active Living* as a way of life that encourages people to integrate physical activity into their daily routines. The project is Confluence Corridor Restoration, Maintenance and Management. This will help protect and restore watersheds in the St. Louis, Missouri region along the corridor. The habitat includes wetlands, prairie and bottomland forest along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Success will be tracked by calculating acreage of invasive species which are controlled and removed and amounts of native trees, shrubs and grasses restored and maintained through regular watering. Trailnet was awarded $8500.00.

Muncie Sanitary District (MSD) - The Muncie, IN Sanitary District was established by ordinance in 1964. Goals of the MSD include: constructing, reconstructing, maintaining, repairing and regulating the use of all connecting and intercepting sewers at the most economical cost available. MSD also wants to be responsible for the collection and removal of solid waste materials and to prevent pollution of the water courses within the MSD boundaries. Funds from the grant program will be used for the White River Cleanup Project. The program will be created and sustained indefinitely to benefit the health of the river and the surrounding community. MSD was awarded $6500.00.

River Action - This non-profit organization is dedicated to fostering the environmental, economic and cultural vitality of the Mississippi River and its riverfront in the Quad Cities Region. Located in Davenport, Iowa, grant money will help to develop the Quad City Watershed Plan which seeks to: improve water quality; improve physical and aesthetic characteristics in and around area streams, wetlands and rivers; provide education; and provide resources for funding assistance to implement the improvements set forth in the plan. River Action was awarded $5000.00.

Kosciusko County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) - This is a governmental subdivision of Indiana. It is responsible for carrying out practices and programs that promote the conservation of our soil, water, and related natural resources within the county. Funds from the grant will offer a hands-on field experience to high school students and allow them to develop an awareness and appreciation of water resources in the county and how to assess water quality. Students will also develop a sense of responsibility and stewardship as members of the community. Kosciusko County SWCD was awarded $3000.

TCRPC - Serving Woodford, Peoria and Tazewell Counties in Illinois, the TCRPC has been working actively with community members from various sub-watersheds throughout the tri-county area to develop plans unique to each community to address the issues of water quality and erosion. Funding from the grant will allow the TCRPC to increase public knowledge of the importance of watershed preservation and restoration of the Illinois River through a public education campaign. Goals are to increase visits to watershed educational websites and community knowledge of water related issues. The TCRPC was awarded $3000.00.

Sandusky River Watershed Coalition (SRWC) - Formed in 1997, the Sandusky River Watershed Coalition is a combination of individuals and organizations concerned with and/or affected by the protection and enhancement of the water resources in the Sandusky, Ohio watershed. Funds from the grant will be devoted to a project providing education to change people’s method of medication disposal from flushing to improved methods of disposal. It will also provide a minimum of four collections of medications for disposal by incineration. The project is called, “The Sandusky Watershed Minus Medication – The Safe Solution.” The SRWC was awarded $6100.00.

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.