City of Missouri Valley addressing water main breaks, quality concerns

MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (WOWT) – The City of Missouri Valley is taking action amid a recent spike in water main breaks and ongoing concerns over water quality.

City Clerk Administrator Turri Colglazier says the city’s infrastructure is more than a century old.

“We do have old infrastructure throughout the city that we are taking action and making plans to repair those streets and the water and sewer underneath of them,” Colglazier said.

Colglazier says one water main break will often set off a chain reaction and can lead to concerns about water safety.

“If there’s a weak spot in there it’s going to find it.”

Highway 30, or Erie St., runs right through Missouri Valley. Colglazier said late last year and so far in 2024, there have been several water main breaks along Erie between Dean Dewaele Way and Morton Street.

“It’s been a struggle,” Colglazier said.

Colglazier says during the first weekend of February alone, there were two water main breaks. A slow water leak was also discovered.

Plans are underway for the state to put in a Highway 30 bypass in a couple of years. She says that should alleviate some traffic issues and give the city easier access to Highway 30 for repairs.

There are also plans to update water lines along First and Fourth Streets.

To address water quality, the city is doing a full system upgrade of the panels at the Water Treatment Center.

“We’ve got more of a communication system between those units now and that’s going to allow us to monitor those levels easier and it’s going to allow us when we have breaks to monitor those critical pieces,” said city lead operator Dakoda Tish.

Colglazier said she understands the residents’ frustrations and asks for continued patience.

“It is going to take some time,” she said. “We aren’t able to cover the whole city. I wish we could. We are working on it, and we are taking it seriously.”

The Missouri Valley City Council will be talking about its capital infrastructure at its meeting Tuesday night.

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