Water 2050: A vision for one water governance

Central Iowa Water Works, established last year, demonstrates the potential of one water governance — an approach that unites regional utilities toward common goals of sustainability, water quality, and conservation for the benefit of consumers and supply.

The water authority is responsible for water system planning, drinking water treatment and wholesale delivery of drinking water to about 600,000 people in central Iowa. Over four years, 12 utilities and rural water agencies decided to come together to streamline management of source water supply, long-term capacity and resilience.

“It takes a lot of trust for this many member agencies to come together, combine these resources, and really join this effort,” said Tami Madsen, executive director of the water authority. “This is truly a regionalization and not a consolidation.”

Regionalized approaches are a key area of exploration in the AWWA-inspired Water 2050 initiative, which seeks to build a sustainable and thriving water future. One of five Water 2050 strategic implementation teams is examining one water governance, including potential regionalization structures like Central Iowa Water Works.

To do this, the strategic implementation team is currently:

• Pursuing case studies of successful and failed collaborative efforts that capture best practices and lessons that other entities can benefit from.
• Creating an implementation flowchart that guides entities to the possible pathways to successful collaborations and identifies potential roadblocks.
• Outlining the various potential challenges related to regionalization — including governance, staffing, and liability — along with opportunities to overcome those challenges.

Regionalization often requires a change in mindset, since it is a change in how things have been traditionally structured and operated.

“These were not easy conversations to have,” said Christina Murphy, general manager of West Des Moines Water Works, one entity within Central Iowa Water Works. “A lot of times, we would walk away from meetings like ‘We’re not going to get there.’ But we had people at the table who looked to find solutions. ‘How are we going to make it work?’”

To learn more about Central Iowa Water Works and Water 2050, visit the website.