Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) is a newly established drinking water production authority chartered with the state of Iowa on April 11, 2024. The formation of CIWW represents years of discussions and negotiations as well as cooperation and collaboration among metro area water utilities, communities and rural water providers. Together, the 12 founding members of CIWW serve more than 600,000 and distribute nearly 22 billion gallons of water a year.

City of Ankeny City of Clive Des Moines Water Works City of Grimes Johnston City of Norwalk City of Polk City Urbandale Water Utility Warren Rural Water District City of Waukee West Des Moines Water Works Xenia Rural Water

The founding entities of CIWW face many of the same challenges when it comes to drinking water supply, the need for more treatment capacity, water quality and regulatory concerns. The CIWW model, based on mutual investment from each founding member, provides shared governance and transparency, as well as resiliency and redundancy in the metro area water system during times of natural disaster and drought.

1. Regional collaboration provides the best management of water resources, now and into the future. CIWW facilitates cooperation among the individual partner utilities and communities. This shared ownership concept creates quality water service that ensures all customers’ safe drinking water needs are met throughout the region.

2. CIWW creates the fairest and most equitable sharing of costs for the region. Members will collaborate on decisions to expand and build treatment plants, secure water resources and plan regionally for treatment and production to avoid costly, unneeded duplication of infrastructure.

3. Joining together establishes a resilient system that assures water access and supply. A metro-wide system connects all facilities to serve members and their communities and creates resiliency to safeguard water supplies against natural disasters and other threats.

4. CIWW members retain local control, while having a say in regional water production. In addition to having a seat on the CIWW governing board, each founding member continues to own and operate its respective distribution system (mains, towers, pumping stations), set water rates and perform administrative functions such as billing and customer service.

5. CIWW will be a unified, engaged voice in maintaining and improving source water quality. CIWW founding members can advocate more strongly together for restoring and protecting our rivers, lakes and streams.

CIWW is a shared-governance water production authority that gives each member representation in all facets of treatment, facilities, planning and wholesale pricing. The structure allows for cost-sharing of major capital expansions based on each member’s share of the growth and individual need for more water. While sharing in the governance of water production, founding members continue to maintain their respective distribution systems and operations such as rate-setting, billing, maintenance, engineering (as relates to storage, pumping and distribution).

The CIWW model allows for joint decision-making in the management of water production, pricing of wholesale water and in the planning and expansion of treatment facilities and source water assets.

CIWW will be fully operational once the transfer of water treatment facilities and assets from the founding entities is complete. Founding members received compensation for their assets and credit for their purchase capacity when they became members of CIWW. As member owners of the authority’s water production facilities, the founding entities agreed to purchase all their water from CIWW.

The Central Iowa Water Works Board of Trustees is governed by a 13-member board with one representative from each founding entity serving populations less than 100,000. The population of Des Moines exceeds 100,000, giving DMWW two representatives on the board.

The CIWW board reports to its founding entities, which are accountable ultimately to their respective ratepayers or taxpayers. As a water authority, CIWW is regulated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Yes, CIWW board meetings are open to the public. See the website for the schedule.

Each founding member selects its board representative as well as its representative to the CIWW Technical Committee.