Central Iowa Water Works reveals how it will address high nitrate levels in the future
As the nitrate removal facility at Des Moines Water Works continues to be in operation, Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) is sharing its plan to build and expand operations in the future. Officials provided updates about nitrate concentration levels and more Tuesday afternoon during a news conference at MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex in West Des Moines. During that conference, it was announced that demand had decreased as usage dropped by 30% since the ban was imposed last week. CIWW leaders also shared that the entity has been working on a long-range plan since before it became an entity that looks at needs through 2050. “We’re not talking about just nitrates,” said Christina Murphy, the general manager of West Des Moines Water Works. “We’re talking about production capacity that can treat not only nitrates, but emerging contaminants.” CIWW says, there are two CIWW members that have aquifer storage and recovery wells in construction.A third one is in design and will provide an additional nine million gallons per day of treated water.”If you don’t know what an aquifer storage and recovery well is, we send treated water down into the Jordan aquifer and we store it so that we can use it during times of peak demand or if we need it if nitrates are high in the river,” said Murphy. Murphy also shared how CIWW is expanding capacity at the Grimes treatment plant. “We’re going to expand capacity at their membrane plant. That membrane plant can treat nitrates if we need to,” said Murphy. The plan also involves doubling the treatment capacity at the Saylorville plant, as well as constructing a 12 million gallons per day plant on the west side of the metro, which will also have technology that can treat nitrates. CIWW says the treatment plans are estimated to cost $344 million, with facilities being online over the next seven years in stages. “Having more capacity for nitrate removal at the plant is certainly a solution,” said Larry Weber, the director of the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research—Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa. While a solution, Weber says, more needs to be done at the agricultural level. “We have an accumulation of nitrate in the soil from application of commercial fertilizer, as well as livestock manure,” said Weber. “That nitrate accumulates in the soils when the soils get wet again. Water then percolates through the soil column, picks up the nitrate, brings it to the tile line, and then it’s quickly transported to our streams and rivers and then flows down to Des Moines.”Weber says he has concerns for the future if agricultural runoff continues to way it has been. “Not only could the demand of drinking water and source water in Des Moines go up, but these concentrations of 20 and 25 milligrams per liter could become 30 and 35 milligrams per liter in the future,” said Weber. According to Weber, there needs to be more regulations in the Midwest to promote nutrient reduction. “We should be doing that through USDA programs and bringing more conservation practices into agriculture, getting more cover crops on our land, and getting more no-till operations happening,” said Weber. WATCH: Central Iowa Water Works executive director: ‘Source water quality issue … not a water quantity issue’Recent coverage of central Iowa water issuesCentral Iowa officials ban lawn watering to avoid potential ‘water crisis’What are nitrates in drinking water and why Iowa officials are watching closelyLIST: Which Iowans are included in the ban on lawn watering?Des Moines shuts down spraygrounds as central Iowa cities work to conserve waterClive residents respond to lawn watering ban amid high nitrate levelsCentral Iowa landscaping businesses adapt to lawn watering banLawn watering ban still in place for more than 600,000 central Iowans; water usage drops by 30% FULL NEWS CONFERENCE: Officials give updates on central Iowa water conservation efforts, nitrate levelsWATCH: West Des Moines Water Works general manager talks about future plans for nitrate treatmentWATCH: Clive residents respond to lawn watering ban amid high nitrate levelsWATCH: ‘What is nitrate and where does it come from?’: Des Moines Water Works CEO explains
As the nitrate removal facility at Des Moines Water Works continues to be in operation, Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) is sharing its plan to build and expand operations in the future.
Officials provided updates about nitrate concentration levels and more Tuesday afternoon during a news conference at MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex in West Des Moines. During that conference, it was announced that demand had decreased as usage dropped by 30% since the ban was imposed last week.
CIWW leaders also shared that the entity has been working on a long-range plan since before it became an entity that looks at needs through 2050.
“We’re not talking about just nitrates,” said Christina Murphy, the general manager of West Des Moines Water Works. “We’re talking about production capacity that can treat not only nitrates, but emerging contaminants.”
CIWW says, there are two CIWW members that have aquifer storage and recovery wells in construction.
A third one is in design and will provide an additional nine million gallons per day of treated water.
“If you don’t know what an aquifer storage and recovery well is, we send treated water down into the Jordan aquifer and we store it so that we can use it during times of peak demand or if we need it if nitrates are high in the river,” said Murphy.
Murphy also shared how CIWW is expanding capacity at the Grimes treatment plant.
“We’re going to expand capacity at their membrane plant. That membrane plant can treat nitrates if we need to,” said Murphy.
The plan also involves doubling the treatment capacity at the Saylorville plant, as well as constructing a 12 million gallons per day plant on the west side of the metro, which will also have technology that can treat nitrates.
CIWW says the treatment plans are estimated to cost $344 million, with facilities being online over the next seven years in stages.
“Having more capacity for nitrate removal at the plant is certainly a solution,” said Larry Weber, the director of the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research—Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa.
While a solution, Weber says, more needs to be done at the agricultural level.
“We have an accumulation of nitrate in the soil from application of commercial fertilizer, as well as livestock manure,” said Weber. “That nitrate accumulates in the soils when the soils get wet again. Water then percolates through the soil column, picks up the nitrate, brings it to the tile line, and then it’s quickly transported to our streams and rivers and then flows down to Des Moines.”
Weber says he has concerns for the future if agricultural runoff continues to way it has been.
“Not only could the demand of drinking water and source water in Des Moines go up, but these concentrations of 20 and 25 milligrams per liter could become 30 and 35 milligrams per liter in the future,” said Weber.
According to Weber, there needs to be more regulations in the Midwest to promote nutrient reduction.
“We should be doing that through USDA programs and bringing more conservation practices into agriculture, getting more cover crops on our land, and getting more no-till operations happening,” said Weber.
WATCH: Central Iowa Water Works executive director: ‘Source water quality issue … not a water quantity issue’
Recent coverage of central Iowa water issues
FULL NEWS CONFERENCE: Officials give updates on central Iowa water conservation efforts, nitrate levels
WATCH: West Des Moines Water Works general manager talks about future plans for nitrate treatment
WATCH: Clive residents respond to lawn watering ban amid high nitrate levels
WATCH: ‘What is nitrate and where does it come from?’: Des Moines Water Works CEO explains