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Supervisors authorize Muscatine County to sign private‑well grant contract with Iowa HHS
Summary
County Development Director Eric Furnace told supervisors the long‑running private well grant, now administered by Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, covers testing, plugging, rehabilitation and shock chlorination; board authorized the chair to sign a FY contract for $454,100.
The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors on June 9 authorized the county development director to sign a contract with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services for the county’s private well grant.
County Development Director Eric Furnace told the board the program — previously administered through the Iowa Department of Public Health — provides testing, plugging, rehabilitation and shock chlorination for private wells. Furnace said the contract amount discussed at the meeting was $454,100 and that the county serves as fiscal agent and implements services through the Board of Health and county staff.
Furnace said the county has carried a similar grant for many years and typically has not expended the full award in a single year; the amount available this year is slightly reduced from prior years. “In the last 10 or 15 years, we’ve never expended the whole amount at this point,” Furnace said, adding that the reduction is not concerning.
He described allowable uses under the grant as including well testing, plugging and rehabilitation, shock chlorination after flooding, and limited costs for training, travel, and outreach. Furnace said staff prefer to reserve funds for resident services rather than promotional items.
Furnace told residents seeking help to contact the county development office; he said realtors commonly use the testing service during property sales and that some homeowners use the testing program annually. The board voted to approve the contract authorization; the motion passed on a voice vote.
Next steps include the county signing the contract with Iowa HHS and coordinating with the Board of Health and county staff on program outreach and administration. Furnace said he would present the grant contract document to the Board of Health for approval as required.
