CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Cedar Rapids leaders gathered Thursday to celebrate a $348 million investment in the city’s wastewater treatment system.
The money will help improve aging water infrastructure and help protect vital water resources and keep the community healthy.
This investment is a part of the $11.5 billion Fiscal Year 2024 allotment for the State Revolving Fund provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law under the Biden-Harris Administration.
Through this law, the Environmental Protection Agency is investing $50 billion to strengthen drinking water, wastewater and storm water infrastructure nationwide.
The $348 million going to Cedar Rapids is part of a partnership with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Bruno Pigott, the United States EPA acting assistant administrator for water, joined Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz, and Utilities Director Roy Hesemann at Thursday’s event.
“The goal here is to effectively treat the wastewater that comes in to ensure we reduce the nutrient loadings that come into our system,”Pigott said.
“Water, sewer, roads have been extremely critical and are extremely critical for Cedar Rapids. So, this particular facility, our wastewater treatment plant, needs to be upgraded,” Pomeranz said.
The improvements are expected to create more than 100 local jobs over the course of the four-year construction process.