Cities around the Des Moines metro are among those that will receive money from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to improve water quality.

The department announced Wednesday — during Soil and Water Conservation Week — that $2.8 million will be put toward 16 urban water quality projects around Iowa. Local sources of funding would cover the remaining $11.8 million in total cost, according to a news release.

"Whether you live in an urban, suburban or rural area, all Iowans have an important role in protecting and improving our state’s water quality," Mike Naig, Iowa's agriculture secretary, said in the news release.

The state's Water Quality Initiative and Conservation Infrastructure Program provide cost share grants that cover up to half of each project.

More: Five Iowa businesses get $8 million in grants for projects to cut water use

Des Moines and its suburbs will get funding for creek, green space, pond and wetland projects, including:

Altoona

Tuscany Pond

• Grant: $300,000

• Project description: The pond will be renovated to receive stormwater runoff from 245 acres of adjacent urban areas, using a multi-staged outlet and sediment forebays.

Des Moines

Stormwater detention basin water quality retrofit

• Grant: $500,000

• Project description: A dry detention basin located between East Jackson Street and Southeast 14th Street will be converted into a stormwater wetland to treat runoff from 1,390 acres that empties into the Des Moines River. The goal is to preserve existing flood protection but add pools and natural vegetation to help filter the water.

Glendale Cemetery wet pond rehabilitation

• Grant: $250,000

• Project description: A 2-acre pond in Glendale Cemetery will be upgraded to hold more water, reduce runoff rates and filter water before it's released downstream.

Lauridsen Skatepark parking lot

• Grant: $103,500

• Project description: The Polk County Conservation Board will incorporate water-permeable pavers and a bioretention cell to collect stormwater and educate the public about managing stormwater at a new parking lot downtown. The parking lot will serve the Lauridsen Skatepark, walking and biking trail and Riverfront Dog Park adjacent to the Des Moines River.

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Johnston

Citywide soil quality restoration

• Grant: $125,000

• Project description: The city will restore soil quality on lawns and green spaces throughout Johnston by improving lawns' ability to hold and infiltrate more water into soil and reduce runoff.

Polk City

Polk City soil quality restoration batch and build

• Grant: $95,000

• Project description: The city will restore soil quality on more yards and implement an educational campaign to promote and expand its cost share program.

Polk County

Broadway Avenue water quality project

• Grant: $167,500

• Project description: Polk County is incorporating bioretention cells and a stormwater wetland along five miles of Broadway Avenue that's being reconstructed and cuts across Fourmile Creek, one of the county's priority watersheds.

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Waukee

Little Walnut Creek headwaters wetland and greenway

• Grant: $300,000

• Project description: The city is adding a stormwater wetland and greenway to intercept runoff at the headwaters of Little Walnut Creek and filter the water before it continues to flow through Waukee.

Phillip Sitter covers suburban growth and development for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa urban water quality grants going to Des Moines metro projects