Elevated nitrate levels strain Des Moines water treatment facility
For the last several weeks
By KCCI News Staff
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — For the last several weeks, Des Moines Water Works has been dealing with elevated nitrate levels in drinking water, forcing its Fleur Drive facility to operate at full capacity for over 66 days straight, a situation it was never designed to handle.
The nitrate level peaked on June 12 at more than 9 milligrams per liter, prompting all eight nitrate removal tankers to run daily to maintain safe drinking water.
Central Iowa Water Works uses tankers to remove excess nitrate from drinking water, ensuring safety for the public. The facility can clean up to 10 million gallons of drinking water a day, but the near-record-breaking nitrate levels this year have significantly reduced the capacity of the Fleur Drive Water Treatment Plant.
Des Moines Water Works COO Kyle Danley said, “It was never intended when it was constructed to be able to meet an unlimited demand of nitrates.”
He estimates that the facility would need 26 tankers if the nitrate levels remain elevated, but currently, it has only eight. Adding 18 more tankers is not feasible, as each produces almost 50,000 gallons of wastewater that the Water Reclamation Authority must process.
“They cannot take the industrial loading of 26 vessels. In fact, they have told us they can only take about 25% more than what we’re currently producing,” Danley said, indicating that only two additional tankers could be accommodated.
An expansion wouldn’t be needed if the utility can lower the nitrate level before the water is treated.
“We’ve certainly been working with our upstream partners over the last several years, trying to help encourage and see lower nitrate concentrations in our rivers,” Danley said.
There are also plans underway to expand other treatment plants, like Saylorville and Grimes, offsetting the demand at Fleur Drive.
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