Iowa American Water recently unveiled its 2024 full-year investment for system improvements totaling more than $40 million to upgrade systems and maintain service reliability, water quality and flow for fire protection.
The Davenport-based utility said in a news release those water and wastewater system upgrades were installed throughout its service areas.
“Keeping our water and wastewater infrastructure strong and reliable isn’t a one-time job – it’s a proactive effort we focus on year after year, so we can continue providing safe, clean, reliable water services to our customers,” Brad Nielsen, president of Iowa American Water, said in the release.
“The capital investments we make across our systems in Iowa provide strong, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, which helps us to continue to meet or surpass water quality and environmental standards and deliver better service for our customers.”
Iowa American Water is a subsidiary of American Water. It is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing services to about 225,000 people. Its headquarters are at 3409 Research Parkway in north Davenport.
Each year, the company invests millions of dollars in infrastructure. That includes treatment plants, tanks, pump stations, miles of pipe, water mains, fire hydrants and metering equipment. That investment renews aging infrastructure, helps promote economic development, funds job growth, and restores service in the event of an outage.
2024 investment list
Among its system improvement highlights and investments in 2024 were:
- Water mains – $12.7 million to replace, repair and install new water mains across our service territories.
- Water treatment and production system improvements – $8.6 million for repair, refurbishment, and replacement of electrical equipment, pumps, and other critical infrastructure at the East River Station Water Treatment Plant in Davenport; Main Station Water Treatment Plant in Clinton; the wastewater treatment plant in Blue Grass; and the Ripley Booster Station in Davenport.
- Service Lines – $5.8 million to successfully replace 450+ customer-owned lead and galvanized steel water service lines. This marks a significant step forward in meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates for all water providers in the country to replace both utility-owned and customer-owned lead and galvanized service lines in the next several years.
- Fire Hydrants – $2.7 million investment to replace aging valves and hydrants in the water distribution system.
- Wells – $1.8 million investment at the MercyOne Genesis East Campus, Davenport, for a new well to serve the campus and surrounding area.
“Proactive capital investments are a crucial part of maintaining service reliability, water quality and water flows for fire protection in every community”, added Mr. Nielsen. “Iowa American Water is continually investing in the local communities where we operate, to ensure that water and wastewater infrastructure that is reaching the end of its useful life is replaced.”
