CIWW Exits the Water Shortage Program

Ends Stage I Voluntary Conservation Measures

August 15, 2025 — Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) announced today that it is exiting the Water Shortage Plan effective immediately. This includes the Stage I voluntary 25-percent reduction on watering and irrigation announced last week. CIWW’s Technical Committee voted unanimously to resume normal irrigation and lawn watering practices for the first time since May 30, 2025.

“The technical committee has continued to diligently review the source water quality as well as forecasted precipitation and expected water demand,” said Tami Madsen, executive director of CIWW. “The committee remains confident that the CIWW system can accommodate increased demand while complying with all safe drinking water standards, and we’re moving forward.”

The watering ban was announced on June 12, after requests for voluntary reductions of 25 percent (Stage 1) and 50 percent (Stage 2) met with significant increases in demand and threatened to push nitrate concentrations in treated drinking water above the U.S. Environment Protection Agency’s standard of
10 mg/L. Throughout the water quality challenge, CIWW has met all standards for safe drinking water.

“No one wanted to ban watering, yet, customers and civic leaders understood the need to act when public health is at risk,” Madsen added. “We are humbled by the public’s support and compliance with the mandatory restrictions—about 99 percent across the metro. We also know that we must take stock of what happened this year and apply the lessons learned here to better manage similar situations should they arise in the future.”

The improvement in source water nitrate levels allowed Des Moines Water Works, the system operator, to turn off the ion-exchange facility at Fleur Drive on August 8. It had been operating for 112 days in 2025, though most recently at a minimum capacity.

About Central Iowa Water Works

CIWW is a collaborative regional utility responsible for water system planning, drinking water treatment, and wholesale delivery of drinking water to approximately 600,000 people.

The 12 founding members of CIWW are Ankeny, Clive, Des Moines Water Works, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Polk City, Urbandale Water Utility, Warren Water District, Waukee, West Des Moines Water Works and Xenia Rural Water District. Des Moines Water Works also includes Alleman, Berwick, Bondurant, Cumming, Pleasant Hill, Runnells, Unincorporated Polk County and Windsor Heights.