Flowing into the future: Central Iowa Water Works looks to expand operations
Central Iowa Water Works is planning major expansions to ensure clean drinking water for 12 local communities in central Iowa.
"Any type of water that you turn on your faucet for, that's what we provide water for," said Tami Madsen, the new executive director of Central Iowa Water Works.
Madsen, who previously worked in North Dakota, now oversees water services for 600,000 customers.
"I was really happy where I was. We were doing really great things through the regionalization effort. And then I saw this position come across a job posting," she said. "I knew that Central Iowa Water Works had it right, and I really needed to be a part of this project."
Central Iowa Water Works, which started 10 years ago, officially formed a year ago when 12 cities joined the initiative. The board of trustees held its first meeting in April 2024, and Madsen was hired shortly after with a goal of "providing clean, quality water into the future."
A study commissioned by the agency predicts the population in central Iowa will grow to 679,000 by 2030 and 900,000 by 2050. The study also shows that CIWW has the capacity to treat close to 150 million gallons of water per day, but the expected daily demand by 2050 is 208 million gallons per day.
"Bringing more water to the regions," Madsen said, is essential to meet the future demand.
The study explored adding to the current six treatment locations with two main options. The first option involves expanding three plants, including a major expansion at the Saylorville plant. The second option includes major expansions at the Grimes and Saylorville plants and building a new plant out west.
"Regional water authorities allow for the benefit of economies of scale. So where other people had to go at it alone, they may not have that benefit," Madsen said.
The Central Iowa Water Works does not replace local water utilities. Customers will still pay their bills and receive customer service through their local providers.
The price tag for the plant expansions is more than $1 billion.
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