Central Iowa Water Works issues first-time lawn-watering ban as nitrate crisis intensifies
Central Iowa Water Works issues first-time lawn-watering ban as nitrate crisis intensifies
Central Iowa Water Works has issued a first-ever ban on lawn watering by its 600,000 commercial and residential customers, effective immediately, as high levels of nitrate pollutants in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers threaten to outstrip its treatment capabilities.
Customers repeatedly violating the ban could face losing water service, the authority said.
Federal regulations limit nitrate content in drinking water to 10 milligrams per liter, and CIWW’s equipment for removing it already is operating at capacity.
The ban will continue until further notice, the regional authority said Thursday, June 12. It comes one day after it requested a voluntary 50% reduction in lawn watering.
“We are pulling all levers at our treatment facilities and nitrate removal processes to prevent a violation,” Tami Madsen, the executive director of Central Iowa Water Works, said in a statement. “Now we need full cooperation from the public. This is no longer a voluntary request.”
Violators could lose water service
CIWW said it made the decision to enact the lawn watering ban to ensure that treatment facilities can produce enough water for essentials uses. For now, treated drinking water continues to meet all state and federal regulations for drinking and household uses, it said.
Any residential or commercial customer observed by Central Iowa Water Works or a member agency watering their lawn will be notified of the violation, the news release said. If violators do not cease watering, they will face having their water service could be disconnected, it said.
More information will be coming from individual member agencies about enforcement and how to report violations.
The ban affects all CIWW members: the cities of Ankeny, Clive, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Polk City, Waukee; unincorporated Polk County; all Des Moines Water Works customers including residents of Des Moines, Alleman, Berwick, Bondurant, Cumming, Pleasant Hill, Runnells and Windsor Heights; the Urbandale Water Utility; the Warren Rural Water District; West Des Moines Water Works; and Xenia Rural Water.
Nitrates connected to health threats
Consuming water with high levels of nitrates is associated with infant asphyxia, known as blue baby syndrome, and even lower levels of nitrates have been linked to cancer.
Nitrates occur naturally in soil, but in heavily agricultural states like Iowa, they also leach from manure and commercial fertilizer applied to farmland into rivers, lakes and streams, often via drainage tiles underlying fields. Fertilizers also can wash into waterways from urban sources like lawns and golf courses.
The watering ban comes as temperatures are rising to summer levels – usually the period of maximum water use. Des Moines recorded its first 2025 high above 90 on Wednesday, and the National Weather Service forecast calls for highs from 85 to 90 over the coming week.
Central Iowa Water Works began operations Jan. 1. Previously, Des Moines Water Works, the largest of its member utilities, has called for voluntary watering restrictions during droughts or spike in water nitrate content. But Thursday’s mandatory ban was the first on record for the region.
In many regions of the country, watering bans enforced with fines are a routine part of summer, especially in Sunbelt states like Texas, Florida, Arizona and California.