Middle Cedar watershed group asks Linn County for modest FY26 contribution to pursue larger grants

Mary Beth Stevenson, watersheds and source water program manager for the City of Cedar Rapids Utilities Department, told the Linn County Board of Supervisors on March 10 that the Middle Cedar Watershed Management Authority is asking the county for a contribution of just over $4,000 for fiscal year 2026.

Stevenson said the requested funds would be used as part of match funding for grant applications — including a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency request for $1,300,000 — and to help hire a watershed coordinator to provide “boots on the ground” project coordination across the Middle Cedar watershed. “The goal and the purpose of the WMAs is to address issues related to water quality and flooding and to provide education, grant writing, services facilitation and coordination support for watershed projects,” Stevenson said.

Nut graf: The Middle Cedar WMA, launched in February 2016 and now counting 26 member jurisdictions, told supervisors it can leverage limited local contributions to compete for larger state and federal construction funds and to coordinate multi‑jurisdiction wetland, bioreactor and buffer projects that the group says reduce flood flows and improve water quality.

Stevenson reviewed recent results and the authority’s funding model: the WMA participated in the Iowa Watershed Approach project that received $9,000,000 in federal funding and installed 84 practices, and in 2023 completed a Batch and Build project in Linn County installing 36 bioreactors and saturated buffers with more than $400,000 in construction financed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Water Quality Initiative (WQI). She said the WMA’s annual funding target is $50,000, split roughly into $25,000 for a watershed coordinator and $25,000 for locally led projects, but that members often contribute less than the target.

Supervisor Kirsten asked about state funding levels for watershed management and whether Linn County was receiving its share. Stevenson said the WMA itself receives no state operating allocation but that construction funding is available competitively through the Department of Agriculture’s WQI; she confirmed the WQI program has large statewide allocations and that Linn County has received WQI projects recently. “The money is there for construction, but the trick is to line up the projects,” Stevenson said, describing the coordinator role as the position that connects landowners, funding sources and permitting to get projects built.

Supervisor Ben praised the WMA’s continuing work. Stevenson said the WMA recently submitted a grant application to EPA that identified Morgan Creek as a high‑priority implementation area and that the authority is working with county staff on additional local projects and expanding water monitoring in partnership with Cedar Rapids and other members.

The presentation closed with Stevenson saying the WMA will continue to request member contributions at the level each jurisdiction can afford and that she hopes the county’s contribution will be matched by other local funds to support grant applications and the coordinator position.

Ending: Stevenson left printed copies of a Morgan Creek subwatershed plan for supervisors to review and said she would be available for follow‑up questions about the WMA’s grant applications and staffing plans.