Carter Lake, Iowa has won a nearly $500,000 federal grant to replace 11 generators that keep sewage and stormwater pumps running when the power goes out. The money is meant to reduce the odds that floodwater or sewage backs up into residents' homes during severe weather. City officials say the grant puts an aging piece of infrastructure back on solid footing just as those generators reach the end of their expected lifespan.
The $491,675.03 award comes from FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, according to KETV. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley's office announced the award on October 21, but the station reports that Carter Lake itself wasn't informed until Thursday — after news organizations had already been notified. The grant officially traces back to a windstorm in June 2024 that, according to Mayor Jason Gundersen, caused nearly the entire town to lose power.
Why the Town Needs Power to Move Water
Carter Lake's sewage and stormwater drainage system normally relies on gravity, Public Works Director Jeremiah Poole has explained, but pumps are needed to move water out of town whenever water backs up or levels get too high. Those pumps require electricity to run, which is where the generators come in. Without reliable backup power during an outage, the city says it is at risk of sewage backing up into homes.
Poole said most generators have a typical lifespan of about 20 to 30 years, and Carter Lake's current units fall within that window. Gundersen has described the generators as aging and overdue for replacement, a assessment that lines up with the timing of the grant following the 2024 storm.
Project Timeline Still Taking Shape
City Administrator Cameron Gales said the project's full timeline is still being finalized, but work could begin in the spring and take about a year to complete. Gales also said the grant should translate into savings for local taxpayers, since the city won't have to shoulder the full cost of replacing all 11 generators on its own. He added that the funding puts Carter Lake in a position where generator-related concerns are no longer something officials have to worry about.
Grassley, in a statement, credited President Trump and Secretary Mullin with pushing the funding forward to benefit Iowans in Carter Lake and the surrounding area. The senator made a similar point on social media, writing on X that the administration was ‘prioritizing Iowans' SAFETY’ and crediting the funding announcement for helping the city ‘improve its emergency response measures.’
A Small City With Outsized Federal Requirements
Carter Lake has a population of about 3,800, but it's subject to federal stormwater pollution-control requirements typically applied to larger municipalities because of its location inside the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. That distinction has made stormwater infrastructure a persistent challenge for a city its size.
Carter Lake's award is one piece of a broader pot of hazard mitigation money moving through Iowa. FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program generally funds up to 75 percent of approved project costs for state and local governments, according to the agency. Iowa received more than $1.3 million for similar projects in July, per FEMA, and other Iowa cities have tapped the same pipeline: the City of Redfield received $193,800 for generators and emergency power, while Urbandale was awarded more than $3.3 million to acquire and demolish six flood-damaged homes, according to figures released by Grassley's office.
