Iowa gets millions from infrastructure bill to upgrade water plants, limit lead and 'forever chemicals'

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Iowa will receive more than $110 million from the new federal infrastructure bill to upgrade aging water infrastructure and tackle toxic "forever chemicals."

The funding, announced Thursday, will help Iowa communities replace aging water and wastewater treatment plants and help remove lead from drinking water.

"This is great for our state," U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, a Democrat and the only member of Iowa's House delegation to vote for the legislation, told the Des Moines Register. "We have pipes that are really old and that are not working for this state. And in fact, a recent study showed that, you know, three of every four young children in Iowa have some detectable level of lead in their blood and this is one way we can tackle that health issue for our children."

At 76%, Iowa ranks fourth nationally for the percentage of children under age 6 with detectable levels of lead in their blood, a study this year showed.

The EPA funding also will help address the presence in Iowa waters of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, industrial compounds also known as PFAS and "forever chemicals" because they never break down. Used in everything from nonstick pan coatings to foam for fighting aircraft fires, they are associated with a variety of adverse health effects, including birth defects and infertility.

"There's a lot that Iowans are going to see out of this, and I'm proud to be able to have voted for it," Axne said.

In the Senate, Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley joined Axne in supporting the $1.2 trillion bill and Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst opposed it.

On Thursday, the EPA said the infrastructure law will provide nearly $44 billion for water and wastewater improvements over five years, with Iowa receiving an estimated $638 million.

In a letter Thursday, EPA Administrator Michael Regan urged Gov. Kim Reynolds to target improvements in "disadvantaged communities — rural, urban, suburban — that have deeply rooted water challenges, whether it is too much, too little or poor-quality water."

"These communities have never received their fair share of federal water infrastructure funding," Regan wrote.

Acting EPA Region 7 Administrator Edward Chu said half of the communities in the region with a water or sewer utility have fewer than 425 residents — and many are shrinking.

Region 7 includes Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, along with nine tribal nations.

“This historic investment will allow us to continue supporting the immediate needs of the aging water and wastewater systems in these and other underserved areas,” Chu said in a statement.

It's unclear how many Iowa jobs the infrastructure package will create, given that the federal government is still determining how the money will be divvied up, Axne's office said. Nationally, the infrastructure package is expected to create 770,000 jobs by 2025.

Alex Murphy, Reynolds' spokesperson, said Thursday that the governor's team is reviewing the criteria for infrastructure spending. Altogether, Iowa expects to receive $5 billion from the infrastructure law.

More: US infrastructure spending: Charts show where billions of dollars would go

"We’ll be very strategic on how we’re using those funds," Reynolds told reporters before Thanksgiving.

She said she's concerned about the impact the federal spending has on inflation.

"Those tax-and-spend policies are going to continue to drive inflation and that has an impact on hardworking families," she said.

On Thursday, Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said she hopes Reynolds accepts the money.

"Water quality in the state of Iowa is critically important and I would really hate to see it politicized in a way," Konfrst said.

Des Moines Register reporters Brianne Pfannenstiel and Stephen Gruber-Miller contributed to this article.

Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa getting millions from federal infrastructure bill for safer water