DES MOINES, Iowa – Polk County announces a pivotal investment aimed at continuing crucial water quality monitoring across Iowa. In recent years, federal and state budget reductions have threatened to pause a decade of essential research, disrupting the vital monitoring and real-time data collection critical to preserving our water sources. This $200,000 investment highlights Polk County's unwavering commitment to enhancing water quality for both our community and the entire state.

POLK COUNTY, Iowa (KCCI) - Polk County Board Chair Matt McCoy says accurate water quality data isn’t just important; it’s essential. That’s why Polk County pledged to allocate $200,000 to Iowa’s Water Quality Information System (IWQIS) Tuesday morning.

DES MOINES, Iowa — After a historic summer of lawn-watering bans and high nitrate levels, central Iowa officials are taking steps to continue research for keeping water safe. Polk County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $200,000 investment to help keep 60 Iowa water quality monitors in operation. Those are all across the state in rivers and streams.

Threatened by federal and state budget reductions, Polk County is committing funding to help keep a state water quality monitoring system afloat amid continued concerns over the quality of central Iowa's water.

Linn County has joined with University of Iowa researchers to conduct studies of surface water and underground aquifers in the county. At an estimated price tag of $130,000, it’s a bargain, given the importance of the information it will provide. The studies include an aquifer vulnerability map, a contaminant plume map and a surface water sampling assessment to be completed in collaboration with UI researchers through Sept. 30, 2026.

University of Iowa researchers have reported a key advance in the ease of flow and maneuverability for underwater vehicles. In a new study, the research team outfitted the wings of an underwater hydrofoil with a series of coiled spires that, when activated, would unspool, reducing drag and creating more lift for the craft as water current was moved around it.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Flood specialists in Iowa are investing in enhanced monitoring technology for Northwest Iowa following the devastating 2024 floods. The Iowa Flood Center, based at the University of Iowa, is set to receive $1.75 million in disaster supplement funding from FEMA to install new equipment across Northwest Iowa. The funding aims to enhance monitoring and flood forecasting systems, enabling Iowans to better prepare for future floods.

Drive across the top of the levee; come back along the levee’s “toe” slope; pause when a flood wall or obstruction crosses the levee; move to the next section. This has been the methodology for the Iowa Geological Survey team members the past several fall seasons as they survey the geological integrity of Iowa’s 900 miles of levees.

As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, host Ben Kieffer gathers various perspectives on the impacts its having in Iowa and across the country. We talk with Iowa State University cybersecurity professor Doug Jacobson about how Iowans may be at greater risk for fraud threats and University of Iowa professor and Iowa Flood Center Interim Director Larry Weber shares how shutdowns impact his and colleagues' federally-funded research.

This summer, University of Iowa (UI) PhD student Gage MacLin has been exploring one of aviation's most complex puzzles: how can autonomous aircraft safely operate alongside human pilots?