161C.4 Water protection fund.

1. A water protection fund is created within the division. The fund is composed of money appropriated by the general assembly for that purpose, and moneys available to and obtained or accepted by the committee from the United States or private sources for placement in the fund. The fund shall be a revolving fund from which moneys may be used for loans, grants, administrative costs, and cost-sharing.

2. The fund shall be divided into two accounts, the water quality protection projects account and the water protection practices account. The first account shall be used to carry out water quality protection projects to protect the state’s surface and groundwater from point and nonpoint sources of contamination. The second account shall be used to establish water protection practices with individual landowners including but not limited to woodland establishment and protection, establishment of native grasses and forbs, sinkhole management, agricultural drainage well management, streambank stabilization, grass waterway establishment, stream buffer strip establishment, and erosion control structure construction. Twenty-five percent of funds appropriated to the water protection practices account shall be used for woodland establishment and protection, and establishment of native grasses and forbs. Soil and water conservation district commissioners shall give priority to applications for practices that implement their soil and water resource conservation plan.

3. In administering the fund the division may:

a. Contract, sue and be sued, and adopt rules necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, but the division or committee shall not in any manner directly or indirectly pledge the credit of this state.

b. Authorize payment from the water protection fund and from fees for costs, commissions, and other reasonable expenses.

88 Acts, ch 1189, §5

C89, §467F.4

89 Acts, ch 236, §16; 91 Acts, ch 260, §1235

C93, §161C.4

95 Acts, ch 216, §36; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §62; 2017 Acts, ch 159, §17

Referred to in §161A.73, 161C.7, 455A.19