Iowa City's Water Plant Celebrates 10 Years With Open House May 11

The City of Iowa City invites the public to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the opening of the Iowa City Water Treatment Plant at an open house on Saturday, May 11 at the plant, located at 80 Stephen Atkins Drive on the City's northwest side. The event will run from 2 to 4 p.m. and will feature tours, informational booths, and refreshments.

At 2:15 p.m., Brenda Nations, the City's Environmental Coordinator, will lead a prairie walk through the scenic 230-acre Waterworks Prairie Park, adjacent to the Water Plant. Enjoy a walking tour of the area's ponds, wetlands, wooded areas, numerous native prairie grasses and wildflowers, as well as the walking and biking trails that provide recreation year-round. Yet another special event scheduled as part of the celebration is a photo essay titled, "Birds of Water Works Prairie Park," produced by James Scheib, local bird photographer and member of the Iowa City Bird Club. The display will be set up in the Water Plant's meeting room.

In March 2003, Iowa City opened the long-awaited, state-of-the-art water treatment facility, which now provides quality water to more than 60,000 Iowa City residents. The facility was built to replace a water plant that had operated since 1882 and was struggling to meet the demands of the growing community. Planning for the new facility had begun 13 years earlier, in 1990, with the City's main priorities to improve water quality, provide ample capacity to allow consistent water pressure, and to redirect Iowa City's main water source from the Iowa River to more stable groundwater sources. 

Today, the plant continues to do what it set out to do a decade ago, and Iowa City's award-winning water exceeds all required standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Over 200 water quality tests are performed each day by professional staff to ensure that quality standards are attained. 

For more information, contact Water Division Superintendent Ed Moreno at 319/356-5162 or Public Works Information Coordinator Carol Sweeting at 319/356-5164.