Iowa's Grants to Counties Program Evaluation Released

Silvia Secchi, associate professor in the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) and David Cwiertny, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the UI College of Engineering and director of the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), released a report on their evaluation of Iowa's Grants to Counties Program. Secchi is a researcher in the PPC's Environmental Policy Research Program, which Cwiertny directs.

Their study found that the Grants to Counties Program is being underutilized. The program was designed to assist private well owners, whose wells fall outside the jurisdiction of the Safe Drinking Water Act, with routine testing of their water. Out of Iowa's 99 counties, 98 use the program but are leaving some of the funds untapped, leaving private well owners vulnerable to health risks. 

Click here to read the full report, or here to read Iowa Public Radio's story about it.