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Inside Iowa Politics: New way to make sure your neighborhood has enough drinking water?

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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.

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Follow the timeframe and evolution of Central Iowa Water Works here.

Here are the dozen local providers that joined Central Iowa Water Works:

A dozen central Iowa water utilities have joined Central Iowa Water Works.(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.

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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.

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Iowa

‘GoFundMe’ shares update on Univ. of Iowa student shot at Ped Mall

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‘GoFundMe’ shares update on Univ. of Iowa student shot at Ped Mall


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A University of Iowa student critically injured in an April 19 shooting at the Pedestrian Mall is off a ventilator after multiple surgeries.

Miranda, who suffered the most serious injuries in the shooting, was taken off a ventilator and breathing through her tracheostomy with oxygen support as needed, according to a May 2 update on a GoFundMe page organized by her sister, Janjay Peters. The fundraiser has raised more than $195,000.

Doctors said if Miranda continues to do well with her breathing, she may be moved out of the ICU soon. The family expressed appreciation for the support they have been receiving.

The shooting happened at the Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City, around 1:45 a.m. on April 19. Five people were hurt, one critically.

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Iowa City Police said 17-year-old Damarian Jones of Cedar Rapids was involved in a fight before he retrieved a gun from another person and fired six shots into the crowd, hitting five people.

Authorities said there is no evidence Jones targeted any of the victims, and none were involved in the initial fight.

Iowa City Police are still searching for Jones. He is facing five counts of attempted murder among several other charges.

The Iowa City Police Department said it expects to arrest more people in addition to the charges for Jones.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.

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Iowa Democrats challenge Vance and Nunn over Burlington CNH plant closures

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Iowa Democrats challenge Vance and Nunn over Burlington CNH plant closures


IOWA (KWQC) – Iowa Democrats responded to Vice President JD Vance’s visit and endorsement of Rep. Zach Nunn in a press release.

The statement addressed Vance’s comments on tax cuts for American manufacturers. Democrats said corporate greed and policies pushed by Republicans including Vance and Nunn have led to the ongoing closure of Burlington’s CNH plant.

The release stated that from 2015 to 2024, CNH made $11.6 billion in profit and the CEO made $113 million during that time period. The statement said the money could have provided as much as $5 per hour per employee and could have been used to keep plants open in the U.S. and Iowa.

Vance discussed opening regulation for E15 fuel so Iowa farmers can have another revenue source, along with recent progress made for the Farm Bill.

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A farmer from central Iowa remarked on the recent Farm Bill, saying a new Farm Bill has just passed the House, but it is not future-looking and continues to support big operations. The farmer said the bill gives money for precision agriculture development and purchases for farmers.

The statement referenced the president’s February executive order to purchase metric tons of beef from Argentina instead of supporting Iowa’s beef production.

Copyright 2026 KWQC. All rights reserved.



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VP JD Vance visits Iowa during Tuesday visit

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VP JD Vance visits Iowa during Tuesday visit


Vice President JD Vance is headed to Iowa on Tuesday, expected to speak at a manufacturing facility. Tuesday’s visit will mark the first since taking office last January.

Vance is making the trip to campaign on behalf of Rep. Zach Nunn, who will be facing off in a competitive race to keep his seat in the Des Moines area in the November midterm elections. He is accompanied by his son Vivek on the trip, making a stop in Cincinnati to vote in Ohio, where he previously served as Senator, and then made an appearance in Oklahoma City to hold a fundraiser as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee.

Vance’s visit to Iowa was originally slated for last week, but the timing was changed because the House moved to pass a farm bill that Nunn was due to vote on.

He also had been prepared to appear last week at an Iowa State University event with Turning Point USA. However, the organization said it was not able to reschedule the event with the university until the fall.

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Vance’s visit to Iowa also offers him the chance to test his reception before Iowa voters, who make up a crucial voter bloc for the next presidential election.



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