(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) officials, Friday, confirmed water coming out of the system’s treatment plants continues to meet federal safe drinking water standards.  The regional water production authority said the lawn-watering ban has been effective at reducing load and allowing treatment facilities to keep the drinking water nitrate levels below the federal limit, despite near historic levels in source water.

At a press conference Friday, CIWW executive director Tami Madsen said “We don’t anticipate that there’s going to be any concern with our water not meeting safe drinking water standards because of the hard work that everyone is doing with the lawn watering ban.”

Tami Madsen, Central Iowa Water Works’ executive director speaks with reporters outside of Saylorville Water Treatment Plant June 20, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch

CIWW issued a lawn watering ban on June 12th due to exceptionally high levels of nitrate which can cause problems like blue-baby syndrome or other adverse health effects when consumed in high concentrations.

Rumors circulated on social media Thursday that CIWW was expecting nitrate concentrations in output water to exceed the federal safety standards, but Madsen shut down the rumors and said CIWW has “no concerns” of that happening, because the lawn watering ban has been so effective.

Madsen said while CIWW does not expect its output to exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water standard, which for nitrates has a maximum of 10 milligrams per liter, but if it did CIWW would communicate with the public.

Des Moines Water Works’ Fleur Drive plant and the Saylorville Water Treatment plant have the capacity to remove nitrates from the water. CIWW has plans to expand treatment capacity by 25% in the coming years, which would help to reduce future lawn watering bans.