Nitrate violation imminent: Lawn watering banned immediately
6/12/2025FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2025
Contact:
Tami Madsen, Executive Director
Central Iowa Water Works, tmadsen@ciww.gov
DES MOINES – Pending an imminent risk of violating the nitrate standard, all commercial and residential lawn watering and use of automatic lawn watering systems are prohibited until further notice. This ban is effective immediately and affects all businesses and all residential customers served by Central Iowa Water Works.
“We are pulling all levers at our treatment facilities and nitrate removal processes to prevent a violation,” said Tami Madsen, the executive director of Central Iowa Water Works. “Now we need full cooperation from the public. This is no longer a voluntary request.”
CIWW has made the decision to enact the first-ever lawn watering ban to ensure that treatment facilities can produce enough water for lifeline essentials amid water supply challenges caused by high nitrate concentrations in raw source waters. Treated drinking water continues to meet all state and federal regulations for drinking and household uses.
Central Iowa Water Works needs to limit the amount of river water that is used in the treatment process because nitrate concentrations in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers have climbed to near record levels.
Any residential or commercial customer observed by Central Iowa Water Works or a member agency watering their lawn will be notified of the violation. If lawn watering does not cease, water service could be disconnected. More information will be coming from individual member agencies about enforcement and how to report violations.
The ban affects all CIWW member agencies: City of Ankeny, City of Clive, Des Moines Water Works, City of Grimes, City of Johnston, City of Norwalk, City of Polk City, Urbandale Water Utility, Warren Rural Water District, City of Waukee, West Des Moines Water Works and Xenia Rural Water, as well as communities served by Des Moines Water Works: Alleman, Berwick, Bondurant, Cumming, Pleasant Hill, Runnells, Unincorporated Polk County and Windsor Heights.
Central Iowa Water Works has been removing nitrate using the nitrate removal facility for more than 55 days. All nitrate removal processes are operating at full capacity to produce clean, reliable water to 600,000 central Iowans.
There will be a press conference to discuss this announcement: 3 p.m. today, June 12, Polk County Emergency Management, 1907 Carpenter Avenue, Des Moines.