Pittsburgh value-added aluminium firm Arconic was one of five companies to split an US$8.3 million matching grant from the Iowa government to upgrade its water infrastructure at Iowa-located manufacturing and industrial facilities.
The grants are intended to aid the companies in improving their water infrastructure systems to reduce the significant usage of Iowa’s surface and groundwater. The upgraded facilities are also expected to reduce the load the companies place upon local wastewater treatment plants.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said in a press release that protecting its water sources is vitally important for the state’s future.
“Iowa has a long history of innovation to improve water quality and sustainability, and these projects continue that legacy. We rely on our land and water to provide for Iowa’s future generations, which is why we remain focused on protecting, preserving and restoring Iowa’s water resources.”
Arconic’s grant totals US$2.2 million and will go to new facilities at its Davenport plant that will reduce water usage via filtration and reverse osmosis to treat wastewater from its production process for reuse by the plant. The firm estimates that the completed project will cut its draw on local water resources by up to 77 percent.
Other recipients of matching grants include AgCertain, CJ Bio, Hormel Foods, and Prairie Farms. The grant program is part of a larger push by the Reynolds administration’s US$100 million investment in the state’s water infrastructure and water quality improvements intended to reduce excess nutrients, improve public health, and promote water reuse while delivering economic benefits to the state.
