Montezuma American Legion Post 169 receives stormwater improvements grant for new building5/13/2023 A new Montezuma American Legion Post 169 building is slated for construction on the northeast edge of town. The local Legion was the recipient of a $23,480 for stormwater improvements to the new Legion Hall from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Grant. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced last week that the Montezuma American Legion Post 169 has been awarded an Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Grant in the amount of $23,480 for stormwater improvements to the new Legion Hall yet to be constructed.
The Legion hall project was one of 16 urban water quality projects across the state to receiving funding to make stormwater improvements. The American Legion Post 169 will be the first American Legion in the state of Iowa to construct urban conservation practices. The practices will also be the first ones installed in the City of Montezuma. The Legion is partnering with the Poweshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The Legion will be installing two bioretention cells and an enhanced rain garden. It will also complete two acres of soil quality restoration. The bioretention cells will treat runoff from the parking lot. The enhanced rain garden will capture runoff from the new building. Bioretention cells and rain gardens are small depressional areas that soak up and treat rain as it runs off parking surfaces and roofs. Soil quality restoration helps to restore urban soils compacted during the construction process. Without the bioretention cells, rain garden, and soil quality restoration, untreated runoff would otherwise enter the river. American Legion Post 169 has made a commitment to reducing runoff and pollutants at their new location. These practices will serve as a demonstration site for other communities and American Legions across the state of Iowa. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, utilizing the state’s Water Quality Initiative (WQI) and funding from the Conservation Infrastructure Program (CIP), will provide cost-share grants that cover up to 50 percent of the total cost of each project. The overall cost of the 16 projects is expected to be approximately $14.6 million, which includes $2.8 million from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and $11.8 million from local sources. “Whether you live in an urban, suburban or rural area, all Iowans have an important role in protecting and improving our state’s water quality,” said Secretary Naig. “As we accelerate our statewide water quality efforts and work collaboratively with local partners, these urban cost-share grants help to leverage significant water quality investment by communities of all sizes.” The Department provides financial and technical assistance to the communities and organizations implementing these urban water quality practices. To receive state funding, the urban water quality projects must include education and outreach components and involve local partners. These community-based projects raise awareness about new stormwater management methods and encourage others to adopt similar infrastructure-based practices to improve water quality. These urban conservation projects include water quality practices like bioretention cells, bioswales, native plantings, permeable pavers, rain gardens, soil quality restoration, and wetlands among many other proven practices. Last week’s grant announcement coincides with Soil and Water Conservation Week, which Gov. Kim Reynolds has proclaimed will be recognized from April 30 through May 7 in Iowa.
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