Iowa American Water to Award $8,200 to Four Local Watershed Projects through 2016 Environmental Grant Program

Iowa American Water announced today that four local watershed initiatives will be awarded funding through the company’s 2016 Environmental Grant Program. The recipients will share grant funds totaling $8,200 for community projects that improve, restore or protect watersheds.

“Our Environmental Grant Program is designed to help organizations carry out projects that benefit our waterways, raise awareness about the importance of water in our lives and promote community participation,” said Randy Moore, president of Iowa American Water. “We are pleased to support these worthwhile endeavors and extend our appreciation to the individuals and organizations that are making them happen.”

Grant applications were evaluated by a panel of judges based on criteria such as environmental need, innovation, community engagement and sustainability.

Recipients of Iowa American Water’s 2016 Environmental Grant Awards are as follows:

• City of Bettendorf will be awarded $4,000 for its Hopewell Storm Water Pond Water Quality Improvement Program. Pond management practices will be installed in early summer. Water samples will be collected from the stream entering from the watershed and at the overflow structure. Samples will be tested for nitrate levels with the goal of significant reduction as water passes through the pond and continues through the watershed. Nitrate concentration is expected to decrease by 75% or more.
• Nahant Marsh Education Center will be awarded $2,000 for its Sedge Meadow Restoration and Enhancement project. Nahant Marsh staff and volunteers will survey 7.5 acres of Sedge Meadows. A variety of methods will be used to reduce invasive species cover, and native plants will be re-introduced. Volunteers will assist in monitoring and managing the site.
• Keep Scott County Beautiful will be awarded $1,700 for its Xstream Cleanup 2016. Xstream Cleanup (XC) is an annual Quad-City wide cleanup of the Mississippi River. This year XC will grow larger thanks to a new format that includes more cleanups scheduled throughout the year. Since 2004, XC volunteers have removed nearly 1 million pounds of debris from area waterways and provided more than 44,000 hours of volunteer labor.
• Clinton High School Chemistry Department will be awarded a $500 grant for its “Investigating Dangerous Chemicals in our Watershed” project. Students in a Clinton High School chemistry class have taken a keen interest in testing for the chemicals in the local watershed that could potentially contaminate their drinking water. The grant will help purchase supplies necessary for student monitoring and testing.

About Iowa American Water

Iowa American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water services to approximately 200,000 people. American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. Marking its 130^th anniversary this year, the company employs 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found at www.amwater.com.