# Linn County Considers Water Study Contract

Linn County, Iowa, is preparing to consider a contract for Black & Veatch to conduct an independent regional water balance study, with Google reimbursing the county for up to **$242,000**. County supervisors were expected to consider the agreement at a formal meeting the week after October 27, 2026. The county will control the study’s scope and findings, and Google and the public are to receive the results at the same time; completion is expected by March 2027.

- The proposed study will assess regional water resources and use, future demand, drought resilience, data gaps, and monitoring or modeling needs.
- For public buyers and consultants, the arrangement separates private funding from control of the study and provides for simultaneous release of findings—terms relevant to structuring independently conducted, externally funded studies.
- Black & Veatch is the proposed consultant; the signal describes a pending agreement, not an open solicitation. The stated completion target is March 2027.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Energy & Utilities, Environment
**Published:** October 28, 2026

### Government Entities
- Linn County
- City of Palo

### Vendors
- Black & Veatch (Proposed study consultant)
- Google (Reimbursing party)

### Key Quotes
> And just to be frank with the public, there’s no influence of Google in the actual study itself.
> — Sami Scheetz, Linn County Supervisor

### Sources
- [Linn County, Google set to approve new agreement on water balance study](https://corridorbusiness.com/linn-county-google-set-to-approve-new-agreement-on-water-balance-study) - Corridor Business Journal