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Des Moines Takes Another Step Toward Regional Water System

(Des Moines, IA) -- The Des Moines Water Works Board of Trustees has approved a draft governance agreement for a regional drinking water system for central Iowa.

The 28E-28F agreement includes the sections of Iowa law that authorize its creation and financial authority – is being shared with 13 communities within the Des Moines metro that currently purchase water from Des Moines Water Works.

Des Moines area water utilities launched an evaluation in 2017, to consider creating a regional drinking water utility. Since 2020, a smaller group consisting of Des Moines Water Works along with representatives from West Des Moines Water Works and the Urbandale Water Utility have been meeting to address the questions raised by the larger group.

Des Moines Water Works staff and legal counsel developed a draft regional governance agreement to serve as a starting point for discussions with other metro water agencies.

 

“The intention is to bring the regional vision to reality through the creation of Central Iowa Water Works,” said Ted Corrigan, the chief executive officer and general manager of Des Moines Water Works, Iowa’s largest drinking water utility. “We have worked together regionally since 1934 when DMWW and the Urbandale Water Utility signed the first agreement to provide drinking water. Since then, the region has grown significantly. Looking forward, we are better able to meet the challenge of providing safe drinking water to 600,000 central Iowans if we work together.”

 

The regional governance draft includes a concept for how Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) could function, its potential responsibilities, its role in long-range planning for water use needs and as a water quality advocate, and a possible composition of its voting board.

 

“The plan being forwarded creates a resilient regional water utility capable of facing current and future challenges,” said Graham Gillette, the chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Protecting water, a vital natural resource, requires that the people of central Iowa work together. We become stronger by equitably sharing governance, investment and financial risk.”

 

The draft agreement proposes:

  • Exclusive supplier rights – CIWW exclusively would provide water to all member communities 
  • Details for transfer of water production facilities such as water treatment plants from local utilities to CIWW

 

Proposed responsibilities and roles of CIWW also are outlined. They include:

  • Managing water as a region to ensure drinking water remains safe, in adequate supply and available to meet the needs of central Iowans
  • Establishing shared ownership, operation and maintenance of existing water supply facilities of the founding agencies
  • Planning for the construction of new water supply facilities, as well as the expansion of existing ones
  • Setting water rates and selling water to member communities, which will then sell water directly to their ratepayers

 

CIWW would not replace or eliminate the water boards or water departments within each community, according to the draft agreement. Each community, under the proposed agreement, would supply water it purchases from CIWW to its individual customers, set its own water rates, operate and maintain its local distribution system, and provide all of its own customer service.

 

“This is a starting point for review, analysis, discussion and negotiation,” Corrigan said. “We hope to work with potential partner agencies over the next several months toward finalizing a governance agreement in the fourth quarter of this year.”

 

 

Dripping silver tap water close up

Photo: Getty Images


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