USDA invests $16 million in rural Iowa water infrastructure
Several communities in northwest Iowa will receive upgrades to their water systems to address aging infrastructure, including new wells for drinking water, water towers and water treatment plant improvements. The loans and grants, which were awarded from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, totaled more than $16 million for infrastructure upgrades.
Rural Development Iowa State Director Mike Sexton said economic development in rural communities is vital, especially in the northwest regions of the state that were flooded in 2024.
“The USDA is helping modernize services and outfit facilities to recover from disaster, strengthen local infrastructure and unleash economic prosperity,” said Sexton.
“Without [the USDA funding], I mean, I don’t know how the city would even be able to do it,” said April Putzier, clerk for the City of Correctionville. “Obviously, it’s not covering all of it, but it could potentially be taking over a million dollars of a burden off of its consumers, and that’s huge.”
The city of Macedonia received a grant for $223,000 through the Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants program to help construct a new well. According to the release from USDA, the additional well will help boost the city’s water supplies, which currently become insufficient during periods of dry weather and require the city to reduce its pumping rate.
