Iowa
Inside Iowa Politics: New way to make sure your neighborhood has enough drinking water?
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray TV Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – Droughts, chemical runoff, changing weather patterns and population growth have triggered a growing warning to Iowa residents, political leaders and community developers about the importance of reliable access to clean, plentiful drinking water. A new central Iowa entity could provide a framework for other communities in the state for a regional commitment.
A newly formed entity called Central Iowa Water Works unites a dozen water providers. CIWW will serve as a regional utility for water production and expects to provide water for nearly 600,000 residents.
Last month, CIWW chose retired attorney and energy consultant William Smith to serve as its interim executive director. Read the announcement here.
CIWW will assume ownership of the current water treatment and supply systems in the region (most were operated by Des Moines Water Works). The local water entities would continue to be responsible for billing and customer service.
Follow the timeframe and evolution of Central Iowa Water Works here.
Here are the dozen local providers that joined Central Iowa Water Works:
Here is the message that Polk City posted on its website for residents as CIWW formed:
“Polk City has been purchasing water from Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) since 2003. Polk City can produce some of our own water, and we are currently producing about 40% of the water we sell to our residents and purchasing the other 60% of water from DMWW. Unfortunately, as Polk City’s demand for water continues to increase, the percentage that the city can produce continues to decrease. The city produces water at a lower cost compared to what we purchase water for with DMWW. The 40% & 60% ratio was consistent up until a few years ago. In the past few years, the city has had a number of events, where our ability to produce water was either lower, or unavailable, and we have had to fully rely on purchasing water from DMWW.”
Water shortages have not been as severe in Iowa as they have been in western states like California. However, Clarke County has suffered after several years of drought. Area leaders had to resort to asking residents to drink bottled water as they searched for a long-term solution to the challenge.
The CIWW framework is unique to Iowa in the way it has united numerous local governing authorities into a regional water body, which could give it a more centralized focus as it determines how to meet the needs of future generations, how to minimize nitrates in the water system and how to work with federal elected officials and agencies as it seeks future funding.
About the author: Midwest native Dave Price is Gray Television’s Iowa Political Director for 10 stations that broadcast in the state and has been covering local, state and national politics from Iowa since 2001.
He has written two books about the Iowa Caucuses (“Caucus Chaos” and “Caucus Chaos Trump”). Email him at dave.price@gray.tv. Follow him on X (Twitter): @idaveprice Meta/Facebook: DavePriceNews Instagram: idaveprice and LinkedIn: Dave Price.
Dave welcomes your thoughts on what answers to seek from politicians and what issues challenge our communities.
Copyright 2024 KTIV. All rights reserved.
A train struck a semi-truck in eastern Iowa on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring another, authorities said.
The crash occurred at the crossing of a state highway and the Iowa Interstate Railroad in a rural area about 70 miles (113 kilometers) east of Des Moines, according to Poweshiek County Sheriff Matt Maschmann.
One person in the semi-truck died and another was transported with “serious injuries,” Maschmann said in a statement.
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Seventeen train cars and two power engines derailed after the crash and caused “significant damage” to the railroad, he said. Images of the scene showed a massive heap of railcars with billowing smoke.
No hazardous material was spilled, according to Iowa State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Alex Dinkla.
Tate Schendel on Waukee Northwest boys soccer’s win over Urbandale
Hear from Waukee Northwest goalkeeper Tate Schendel after the Wolves beat Urbandale in the Class 4A boys soccer state semifinals.
It took two overtimes and six penalty kicks to decide a winner in Waukee Northwest’s Iowa high school boys soccer state quarterfinal matchup against Johnston on Monday.
And it looked like the semifinal would go the same way, that is, until Eman Alicic came up big on a penalty kick in the final minutes of the No. 2 Wolves’ state semifinal game against No. 3 Urbandale on Wednesday, June 3.
“It was too long of a game last time,” joked Northwest goaltender Tate Schendel postgame. “From now on, we’re just going to try to close things out, get it done and keep moving on.”
It took more than 10 minutes for either team to record a shot, and even longer for an attempt to go on goal.
The Wolves hammered a dozen shots in the direction of Urbandale’s goal in the opening 40 minutes, but only a couple came close to going in – including a shot from Alicic that bounced out after hitting the corner of the crossbar.
The J-Hawks had fewer chances at the net, but more attempts hit the target. Of Urbandale’s seven first-half chances, four were on goal – and Schendel stopped all of them.
With one defense keeping shots on goal away from their keeper and the other team’s goalie stepping up to make risky saves, Northwest and Urbandale headed to the locker room tied, 0-0, at halftime.
“He’s been with us now for three years as a starter, and each year he’s come up big and done great things,” Waukee Northwest head coach Carlos Acebey said about Schendel. “I don’t think he gets a lot of credit for how well he plays between the goalposts, and he’s a solid player for us.”
The Wolves took control in the second half, firing off 12 more shots – including seven on goal – to Urbandale’s three shots, only one of which made its way into Schendel’s hands. But despite Northwest’s ability to keep much of the pressure on the J-Hawks’ end of the field, the game remained scoreless deep into the second half.
With just under four minutes remaining in regulation, Eddie Mihura won the ball around midfield, and then Alicic sent a cross-field pass that was misplayed by one of Urbandale’s players and made its way to Sully Ervin.
He took the ball downfield on a breakaway, but didn’t get a chance at the net, as a J-Hawks player took him down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick.
“He’s just a little buzz saw,” Acebey said about Ervin. “He creates a lot of problems just because he’s annoying, but he’s a great annoying for us. I love it.”
Alicic – the sophomore star and leading goal scorer on Northwest’s roster – lined up for the penalty kick and nailed it, sending the ball left as Urbandale’s goalie dove to the right.
“He’s really wiser than people give him credit for,” Acebey said. “He’s a sophomore, but he’s very intelligent. His soccer IQ is off the charts. He’s a player that gives us a lot of confidence…and the last three teams that we played have tried to double team, triple team him, and he still is going to get the ball.”
The J-Hawks attempted to get another chance at a goal in the final minutes of the game, but Northwest had an answer for everything Urbandale tried. The final horn bellowed, and the Wolves celebrated their first trip to the championship game since the program’s inaugural season in 2022.
Northwest will face off against No. 1 Ankeny Centennial – still undefeated – at 2:30 p.m. on June 5 at Mediacom Stadium.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
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