City of Ames

Water & Pollution Control Department

300 East 5th Street
Building 1
Ames, Iowa 50010

Phone:
(515) 239-5150

FAX:
(515) 239-5251

Water and Pollution Control Department

Water Treatment Plant History

Information | Staff | Conservation | Rates | History | Quality
Service Sign Up | Source Water | Drought Plan | Security

Water "At Your Service" for More Than a Century
In 1874, the public drinking water for the City of Ames was secured at the old town pump posted in front of Bosquet’s Drug Store. At all hours of the day, citizens might be seen wending their way across the sloughs to this favorite gathering place. In 1887, fire destroyed practically all the business district of Ames. It was at this time that the city officials went to the railroad for the privilege of connecting a single hose to the railroad’s water tank. This marked the first attempt at furnishing public service to the little pioneer village. All the buildings were wooden then.

The main street had gone up like tinder during the fire, carrying the fortunes and hopes of many early settlers away with the smoke. Finally, after successive petitions, the right was granted; and a single pipe was laid above ground on the existing Main Street. The residents were required to pay a nominal fee and pledge to use the water only in case of fire. This was, of course, no serious obligation because each householder had its own well for drinking and household purposes. In 1888, the town started to rebuild after the big fire, and townspeople started talking about a central water works and some means of fire protection. The citizens of Ames petitioned the City Council for a municipal water system. The water works system of the City of Ames was established in 1891 and consisted of a small wooden elevated tank, a well, and a pump house located in the downtown area. In 1891, a water main and hydrants were placed along Main Street. These were paid for by abutting property owners and later purchased by the City. There was no purification of the water. A man was hired to pump water into the tank; this was paid for by the downtown merchants. In 1895, the first water rates were determined by the council as follows:
	Public Bathtubs: $10 annually Private Bathtubs: $3 Blacksmith Shops: $3 for the first fire and $2 for each additional fire Dwellings: $6 per faucet
In 1905, the City Council ordered bids for the extension of the water works. Mr. Wickom was employed in 1906 at the rate of $100 per month for inspection of the water and sewer extension. The first step in expansion was to move to the present site of the water works at East 5th and Crawford and dig wells, erect a pump house and a 50,000-gallon elevated tank, and build an underground concrete reservoir. The pumping station, reservoir, and elevated tank were designed by Anson Marston, then Dean of the College of Engineering at Iowa State College.
		In 1909, a public drinking fountain was planned for downtown. It had an electric light globe on the top with a dog trough below. A drinking fountain for horses was installed elsewhere. Until 1924, the residents in the 4th Ward were supplied water purchased by Iowa State College. During that year, the City erected a 200,000-gallon elevated tank and a booster station tying all water mains in the City together. A 1.1-million-gallon concrete reservoir was constructed at the plant site at the same time. At that time, treatment consisted of iron removal only. The water was aerated, settled, and delivered to the mains by high-lift pumps.
In 1927, a filtration plant was added. The nominal design capacity was stated to be two million gallons per day and included four rapid sand filters for iron removal. In 1931, a softening plant was constructed, allowing everyone to have soft water. The softening plant consisted of overhead lime storage, lime feeders, mixing basins, and settling basins. In addition, two filters were added, and design capacity increased to 3 million gallons per day (mgd). The increased usage after this required a larger elevated tank downtown, and a 300,000-gallon tank replaced the smaller one in 1936. The physical appearance of the plant was improved in 1940 when a front entrance and an office were added.
In 1962, the treatment capacity was doubled, and a new high service pumping station was built one block east of the plant. Other important additions in the 1962 construction program included a new clarifier, two new wells, distribution mains, and a one-million-gallon elevated tank. In 1970-71, the plant was expanded from 6 mgd to 9 mgd by plant modifications and construction of four new filters.
In 1978, a five-million-gallon prestressed concrete reservoir was constructed at the plant site for additional storage. In 1987, a new front was added to the Water Plant which included administrative offices, a conference room, and additional lab space. In 1988, the plant capacity was further expanded to 12 mgd by plant modifications and construction of a new settling basin. New office space was created in 1993 with the Technical Services Complex (TSC) addition. The TSC is home to the Water Meter Division and the Laboratory Services Division. In 1995 improvements to the high service pumping station were completed and resulted in improved service reliability.