Cedar Rapids nets $1.3M for Middle Cedar Watershed project

CEDAR RAPIDS — The city of Cedar Rapids is set to partner with five area farmers to test out new water quality measures as part of a larger, federally supported investment into the Middle Cedar Watershed.

The city recently received nearly $1.3 million through the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Farmer to Farmer grant program. The three-year grant will support partnerships with cooperating farmers, as well as cover staffing and research costs for additional watershed modeling.

“We’re really interested in taking a watershed approach to improving water quality and flood mitigation … with the overarching goal of utilizing natural infrastructure to improve watershed health,” explained Mary Beth Stevenson, watershed and source water program manager for the city of Cedar Rapids.

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The city applied for the funding in early 2025, although it just recently learned of the $1.29 million allocation. Stevenson said the plan is to use those funds to complement the city’s other work in the watershed.

To support those efforts, a portion of the grant funding will be used to create a new watershed coordinator position within the city’s Utilities Department to oversee related grant activities and partner engagement.

That includes the identification and collaboration with five area farmers open to implementing natural infrastructure projects aimed at improving water quality such as oxbow restoration and/or multipurpose grass waterways.

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The grant also covers on-farm research to understand and report out the impact of those practices with the goal of creating a replicable model for effective use in and beyond the Middle Cedar Watershed.

“We’re actually already out talking to farmers right now and looking to create those partnerships,” Stevenson said. “This first year will really focus on the watershed model development and the installation of those demonstration practices.”

Per a report from city staff, the grant also will support additional watershed modeling work looking at the watershed more broadly to identify a list of ideal locations for future projects or additional water quality efforts.

Partners on the project include the Iowa Geological Survey, the Nature Conservancy and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, among others. To learn more about the city’s broader water quality efforts, including the Middle Cedar Watershed project, visit bit.ly/MiddleCedar.

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