Coralville wants fewer barriers to installing green infrastructure

CORALVILLE — The city of Coralville is working to decrease barriers for lower-income and minority residents when it comes to installing green infrastructure.

The Green Infrastructure Equality Project will feature an educational campaign and full cost reimbursement for implementation of soil quality restoration practices in the project area south of Interstate 80.

Green infrastructure practices include rain gardens, bioretention cells, permeable pavers, soil quality restoration and more. Soil quality restoration improves soil health on new or existing lawns and allows the soil to absorb more rainfall.

The city received two state grants totaling $45,000 to help with project efforts in the area bounded by I-80, the Iowa River and Iowa Interstate Railroad. This area is home to many lower-income and minority residents, and it has a higher occurrence of localized flash flooding, according to the city.

“This is thought to be the first program in Iowa to address barriers to installing green infrastructure within lower-income or minoritized populations,” Amy Foster, the city’s stormwater coordinator, wrote in a memo to the City Council.

City review found barriers in stormwater efforts

The city last year was reviewing its stormwater program, which includes grants for homeowners who install stormwater best practices on their property. The city contributes half the cost up to $2,000 to help homeowners incorporate water quality practices, including rain gardens, cisterns, infiltration trenches and more.

Staff members recognized there were areas of the community where minimal or no green infrastructure was installed. The areas overlapped with parts where lower-income and underserved populations live.

The city spoke with experts in local green infrastructure and social justice to identify potential barriers and how to overcome them. The two main barriers identified were cost and lack of knowledge.

“We missed the mark on educating certain sections of town, so we need to go back and fix that,” Foster told the City Council this week.

The estimated project cost is $60,000, with the city contributing $15,000. The city received $30,000 from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and $15,000 from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

The Coralville City Council this week unanimously approved allowing the mayor to execute and sign the grant contracts. Two council members were absent.

Education and next steps

The education campaign within the area will focus on informing residents about water resource concerns and how to improve local water quality in neighborhood streams and the Iowa River.

The campaign will “meet people where they’re at,” Foster said.

“Our education campaign would be geared to accommodating all levels of understanding around watershed issues, issues within their watershed and how people can make a positive impact on their watershed,” the city wrote in the project proposal.

The city will hire and work with a consultant on the campaign. City documents outline the educational campaign would be created by June 30 and begin before Dec. 15.

The other goal of the project is to install 30 soil quality restoration practices in the area at no cost to residents.

“Soil quality restoration is the most comprehensive, universal and cost-effective urban stormwater practice,” the proposal said, mentioning how stormwater that is absorbed doesn’t have the chance to be contaminated and pollute urban streams.

The soil quality restoration practices will be installed both this year and next year.

Comments: (319) 339-3155; izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com