ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton is doubling down on his call to fund hundreds of millions of dollars in water infrastructure projects.

That funding is an integral part of the Democratic governor’s $1.5 billion package of public works construction. But Dayton and other public officials said a new report released Wednesday that surveyed how to improve quality showed that money was critical.

Local city officials like Windom Mayor Dominic Jones said they need state support to improve their aging wastewater infrastructure systems. Dayton’s proposal would provide $167 million for those projects.

Dayton has made improving the state’s water quality a top priority for his final year in office. More than 40 percent of the state’s water is considered impaired or polluted.