Legislation to significantly increase state funding to clean up Iowa's waters was approved Wednesday by the Iowa Senate, although it faces an uncertain fate in the Iowa House with time running out in the 2017 Legislature's session.

 

The Senate voted 31-19 to approve Senate File 512. The measure would fund water quality projects by phasing in a plan with about $12 million in sales tax dollars that Iowans already pay on their water bills and by using $15 million that is now used to pay off Vision Iowa project bonds.

 

When the plan is fully funded in 2021, the $27 million would be matched with about $23 million already being appropriated annually for water quality projects, providing a total of about $50 million per year to clean up the state's waters.

 

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