$600,000 in federal funds approved for Creston Water Works

It almost took a year since the initial request.

U.S. Rep Cindy Axne said Wednesday $600,000 in federal funds was approved to upgrade Creston Water Works’ 12 Mile Intake and 12 Mile Water treatment plant.

“This is great for Creston,” she said. “The $600,000 for the city’s water is important for the town and the community. That kind of shot in the arm is very beneficial and and I’m very excited.” Nine of her 10 requests for projects in her district were rewarded. The plan was first submitted last May.

Creston Water Works Steve Guthrie said the funding was a welcomed addition.

“We planned on funding it as we were not going to get it,” he said about the $600,000.

Including that amount, the project has $1.2 million in grant funds. The entire project is valued at about $3 million.

Axne said the project for Creston is a symbol to improve municipal water infrastructure.

“We still have systems across the district that are ripe for failure, have not been upgraded and have a security risk,” she said. “Clean water is a necessity and something we can never risk.”

Quality of water is not Axne’s only issue with water. She said part of the infrastructure bill, which includes $15 million for Iowa, is cybersecurity. In recent months and years various companies have had their computer system held ransom only to regain access after paying the hackers.

“I am hoping we can work and go after more cybersecurity. It’s incredibly important we recognize that,” she said. “We have places in our state where electricity and water are just behind a locked door. Things have changed. We have to be much more vigilant with hacking,” she said. “It’s a big issue we need to address. Nobody was addressing this when I first ran. There is a lack of attention to cybersecurity. If we are not protecting, we are all in trouble down the road.”

Axne hopes the funding will make Creston Water Works and other municipal utility providers more aware of their entire operation. She said about 75% of Iowa children have some form of lead in their system. The lead is acquired through water that passes through lead based pipes or houses that have lead paint.

“We’ve got pipes in Iowa that are 100 years old but not able to deal with the usage they are facing now,” she said.