A $1.5-million Vision Iowa grant award brought the city of Ames one step closer to controlling the quality of its water, while two other projects were denied funding.

A request to fund a Reiman Gardens project and a city recreational project were denied.

The city water-quality project involves purchasing areas of land from Story County that feed an underground aquifer that holds the city’s water supply. The grant was awarded Monday.

“The drive behind this project is to have control of this important resource for now and forever – for future generations,” said Nancy Carroll, director of Ames Parks and Recreation.

Hallett’s Quarry, which sits adjacent to the Skunk River, contains about a billion gallons of water, Carroll said. When the Ames aquifer system gets low and the city doesn’t have enough water to meet its needs, it requests permission from Story County to pump water from the quarry into the Skunk River. The river, in turn, recharges the aquifer.

“If we hadn’t got the recent six inches of rain, we were going to have to do this and had already received permission from the county to do so,” Carroll said.

Keeping water quality at acceptable limits depends on the quality of the natural filtering systems of the quarry and nearby land, also part of the proposed project.

“Right now, [water in the aquifer is] average in quality,” Carroll said. “We want to manage it better to make sure it is improved and always maintained.”

Carroll said the proposed project will do this by constructing long, large areas of wetlands and installing a few hundred acres of prairie grasses and wild flowers – all of which have extensive root systems that can filter and purify water before it enters the aquifer.

The city has proposed to purchase a total of 460 acres – 130 for lakes, 300 for prairie grasses and wild flowers and the rest for a parking lot and rest room.

The entire project will cost $7.5 million, Carroll said, and is therefore contingent on the passage of a $4.97-million bond issue, which will come before voters Nov. 6. The rest of the money, $1.1 million, will come from in-kind contributions from Story County. County experts will construct the wetlands and plant the areas of wild flowers and grasses.

“Now you have control of the water, and you also have quality water,” Carroll said. “But now you also have one of the most beautiful, potential recreation areas in central Iowa.”

To this end, the project involves installing three miles of hard surface bike and walking trail, a restroom, a parking lot and a boat ramp so people can access the lakes with non-motorized boats. But the recreation area is secondary to the water quality project, said Carroll.

“The big deal is this water,” she said. “People will say, `Since 1997 [the county] said you could pump from [Hallett’s Quarry], so why spend this money?'”

She said the quarry will be sold to a company in Ireland if the city does not exercise its option to buy the quarry by Jan. 31.

“We’ve given ourselves a deadline of Dec. 15, because there’s a lot we have to do before the end of January if we’re going to purchase the property,” Carroll said. “Opportunity is knocking – it’s best to take advantage of it.”

Vision Iowa, a grants program established by the Iowa Legislature to encourage tourism in Iowa, also announced Monday that the program will not fund two other Ames proposals.

An aquatic and wellness center project, which also falls under Carroll’s jurisdiction, was put on hold after the decision was announced. The school district and the City of Ames administration will be meeting to discuss the possibility of collaborating to meet the aquatic needs of the Ames community, she said.

City councilwoman Ann Campbell said Ames now has two aging outdoor swimming facilities that are overused and have mechanical problems.

“Ames has a crying need for updated recreational facilities,” Campbell said.

City councilman Steve Goodhue said the council already has begun to look at other funding options for the recreational aquatic center. Mayor Ted Tedesco met with the Ames School Board Monday night to ask that they consider working jointly on the project. The council also has another grant proposal in the works.

“I agree with Nancy Carroll; the most important part of the Hallett’s Quarry project is the water quality control. But Hallett’s Quarry is going to be a unique educational asset too,” Goodhue said.

Vision Iowa also denied a proposal to fund a project for Reiman Gardens. Director Teresa McLaughlin was unavailable for comment.