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Water Plant Expansion Project Updates | ||||
| Water infrastructure in Ames dates back to 1891, with
the installation of a water main and hydrants. From
this, the Water and Pollution Control Department has
grown into four divisions providing service to over 14,000 homes
and businesses. The Water and Pollution Control Department is responsible for collecting source water from local groundwater aquifers, treating that water to make it suitable for drinking water purposes, and then delivering the water into the citywide distribution system. Once customers have used the water, the Water and Pollution Control Department will collect and treat that water, making it safe for release back into the environment. The department also maintains the City's inventory of water meters, and operates the first laboratory in Iowa certified by the IDNR for water and wastewater regulatory analyses. The water coming to the tap of Ames residents recently placed first in a statewide competition held at the annual Iowa American Water Works Association conference. Tested on taste, odor and clarity, Ames water beat out 15 other competitors. Water Pollution Control recently received a Platinum-18 Peak Performance Award by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. This award recognizes the facility’s 100 percent compliance for 18 consecutive years with their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. This record dates back to the initial start-up of the current facility in 1989. It is the longest compliance record in the State of Iowa, and is the third longest in the nation. The Water and Pollution Control Department operate solely on revenue. No tax funds are used for any part of the operations. |
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