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You've got questions about Central Iowa's water since officials have banned commercial and residential lawn watering due to high levels of nitrates in water sources.We've got answers.WATCH: Central Iowa water officials warn at-home nitrate level testing isn't reliable Q: Is the ban still in effect?A: No. Central Iowa Water Works officials lifted all restrictions as of Friday, Aug. 15. Q: Why are nitrate levels a concern?A: High nitrate levels can cause “blue baby syndrome.” That’s one of the reasons the EPA set the 10 mg/liter standard in the 1990s.'This is a call for help': Polk County Health Department Director explains dangers of high nitrates in waterQ: What are the current nitrate levels?A: Nitrate levels in CIWW water sources:Raccoon River: 8.83 mg/l on Aug. 1; 11.92 mg/l on July 23; 7.75 mg/l on July 20; 13.86 mg/l on July 16Des Moines River: 9.92 mg/l on Aug. 1; 8.84 mg/l on July 23; 9.12 mg/l on July 2o; 11.62 mg/l on July 16Treated water on Aug. 1: 7.61 mg/l from Fleur Drive plant; 6.99 mg/l from McMullen plantQ: What happens to leftover nitrate after it's removed from drinking water?The Des Moines water reclamation facility uses advanced aeration systems to process wastewater from 18 cities. Bacteria help break down the nitrate into nitrogen and oxygen, which creates renewable natural gas.The remaining sludge, concentrated with nutrients, is dewatered and turned into a semi-solid fertilizer.Q: Where do the nitrates come from?A: The main sources of nitrates in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers are from agricultural sources, such as fertilizer runoff.Q: What was driving the lawn watering ban?A: Nitrate levels in the two main sources of water for Central Iowa – the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. The quantity of water in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers is NOT the issue. The driver behind the ban is the ability of Central Iowa Water Works to produce enough safe drinking water to meet customer demand.Q: Why don’t we use other sources for drinking water?A: The two rivers are the primary sources of drinking water for the Central Iowa area. The Central Iowa Water Works is the regional water authority with 600,000 customers.Q: How much water are we using? A: Data from Central Iowa Water Works shows customers have used 53.5 million gallons of water per day since the lawn watering ban went into effect — almost 20 million gallons fewer than the day before the ban was imposed.����vlog Investigates: Water demand shot up day before lawn watering ban began, data showsQ: Why ban lawn watering?A: Commercial and residential irrigation is the biggest use of water during the summer months, up to 30% of daily usage.WATCH: Differences between essential and nonessential water uses and how important it is to stop watering lawnsQ: What about pools and splashpads or data centers?A: They do use a lot of water but nowhere near the amount that shows up when lawn watering is going on. Splashpads use about 1 million gallons of water a day, which is a small percentage of the total daily usage. Data centers in West Des Moines use about 2 million gallons per month — 2% to 7% of the city's total consumption.Get the Facts: How much water do West Des Moines data centers actually use?Q: Is the water coming out of my faucets safe?A: Yes. The nitrate removal facility is now keeping up with demand. Drinking water continues to meet the EPA standard for nitrate levels, 10 mg per liter or less. Water officials are testing the water at multiple points of the treatment process.Q: How much does it cost to operate the nitrate removal facility?A: According to data from Central Iowa Water Works, the total operating cost of the nitrate removal facility from 2013 through 2024 was $2.4 million. If you add in maintenance, insurance and other costs, the 12-year total is $5.5 million.In 2024, it ran 68 days for a cost of $624,690. As of July 1, it has run more than 70 days.Q: Why do my at-home nitrate tests seem to show levels much higher than what officials are reporting?A: Experts say the test strips don't usually measure the same part of the nitrate ion that Central Iowa Water Works uses to determine safe drinking water.Q: Is the lawn watering ban helping?A: Yes. Water demand dropped almost 30% in the first few days of the ban, allowing the water works to keep up production of safe drinking water.Q: How many times have there been lawn watering bans?A: This is the first one. It began June 12 and, as of June 24, is still in effect.Q: What about voluntary water conservation to let customers decide?A: There were two that came before the lawn watering ban. The first on May 30 asked for a 25% reduction in lawn watering by commercial and residential customers. The second came June 11 for a 50% voluntary reduction in lawn watering.Q: Didn’t the voluntary conservation work?A: No. In fact, the day of the second request for voluntary conservation saw a surge in water demand up to 73 million gallons of water that day. (The June 10 usage was 63.5 million gallons of water.) Reserve supplies had to be used on June 11 to meet demand. That led to the lawn watering ban.Q: Which Iowans were included in the ban on lawn watering?A: The ban includes customers of all CIWW member agencies, including:City of AnkenyCity of CliveDes Moines Water Works and communities served by Des Moines Water Works (Alleman, Berwick, Bondurant, Cumming, Pleasant Hill, Runnells, unincorporated Polk County and Windsor Heights)City of GrimesCity of JohnstonCity of NorwalkCity of Polk CityUrbandale Water UtilityWarren Rural Water DistrictCity of WaukeeWest Des Moines Water WorksXenia Rural WaterWhy does Grimes not enforce ban?Grimes, a northwest metro city, is part of Central Iowa Water Works, the regional water authority that officially formed a year ago. But officials are not enforcing the watering ban because it gets its drinking water from ground sources — not the rivers.Also, the city's water infrastructure isn't connected to the entire Central Iowa Water Works network.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%Des Moines Water Works CEO links nitrate issue to farm fertilizersCommunities can reopen splash pads and spraygrounds, Central Iowa Water Works saysGet the Facts: How much water do West Des Moines data centers actually use?Splash pads turn back on one week later after new guidance from CIWWCentral Iowa water officials squash rumors that drinking water is unsafeCentral Iowa water quality experts say at-home nitrate test kits are unreliableMore Iowans considering at-home water treatment systems amid water quality concerns����vlog Investigates: Water demand shot up day before lawn watering ban began, data shows This week's rain doesn't help high nitrate levels and the watering ban. Here's why.Inside Central Iowa Water Works' testing laboratoryStudy of births in Iowa finds potential prenatal risk linked to nitrates in drinking waterSource water nitrate levels still elevated, but are improving, Central Iowa Water Works saysPolk County supervisor speaks on new water quality report and its findingsPolk County water report pins unhealthy rivers on ag pollution