Central Iowa Water Works

Water Utility Servicesciww.gov

Central Iowa regional drinking water authority, established April 2024, treating and wholesaling water to 12 member utilities serving 600,000+ people across seven interconnected treatment plants producing nearly 22 billion gallons annually.

Company typePrivate
Founded2024
HeadquartersWest Des Moines, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Central Iowa Water Works does

Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) is a regional drinking water authority formally established on April 11, 2024, under Chapter 388 of the Iowa Code, consolidating 12 founding member utilities, municipal water departments, and rural water districts to deliver wholesale drinking water treatment and production services across Central Iowa. The organization serves more than 600,000 people in rural, suburban, and urban areas and produces nearly 20-22 billion gallons of water annually through an interconnected network of seven water treatment plants: Fleur Drive (75 MGD flagship), L.D. McMullen at Maffitt Reservoir (25 MGD), Saylorville (10 MGD, expanding to 20 MGD), Grimes (approximately 3 MGD), A.C. Ward in West Des Moines (10 MGD), and Polk City (425,000 gallons/day average). Treatment capabilities span conventional softening, filtration, disinfection, ion exchange for nitrate removal (up to 10 MGD at the Fleur Drive Nitrate Removal Facility), reverse osmosis membranes, and riverbank filtration through a three-mile infiltration gallery at Water Works Park capable of producing over 30 MGD.

Water sourcing is deliberately diversified across the Raccoon River, Des Moines River, alluvial groundwater, the 200-acre Dale Maffitt Reservoir, and the Jordan Aquifer accessed via Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells drilled to approximately 2,500-2,700 feet, each storing 300 million gallons and pumping nearly 3 MGD. This diversified portfolio provides resilience against nitrate contamination and drought events; in June 2025, the system experienced near-record source water nitrate concentrations and activated its first-ever regional Water Use Plan with staged restrictions. The board has authorized $1.2 billion in capital improvements over 25 years, including $25 million in state grant funding already secured for Nitrate Removal Facility expansion, the Saylorville expansion, and a planned 12 MGD facility in Dallas County by 2032.

Revenue is generated through wholesale water rates charged to the 12 member entities, with members also sharing capital expansion costs proportionally based on usage and growth projections. CIWW does not interact directly with end consumers; billing, distribution, and customer service remain with local utilities. The organization's value proposition rests on regional cost-sharing for major capital projects, diversified sourcing and treatment redundancy, unified voice in source water protection, and operational resilience during water quality and demand events. Governance is through a Board of Trustees with representation from each founding member; Des Moines Water Works holds two seats due to its population exceeding 100,000. CIWW has been recognized with the Taxpayers Association of Central Iowa's 2025 "In the Public Interest Award" for its model of regional cooperation.

Central Iowa Water Works firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Central Iowa Water Works
Legal name: Central Iowa Water Works
Website: https://ciww.gov
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2024
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Central Iowa regional drinking water authority, established April 2024, treating and wholesaling water to 12 member utilities serving 600,000+ people across seven interconnected treatment plants producing nearly 22 billion gallons annually.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Central Iowa Water Works industry classification

Industry

Product category: Water Utility Services
NAICS: Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)
SIC: Water Supply (4941)
akta.pro primary industry: Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)
akta.pro secondary industries: Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG), Water Sourcing & Abstraction (Surface Water, Groundwater, Intake Works) (EUANAAAA), Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE), Groundwater Extraction, Treatment & Discharge (Pump-and-Treat, reinjection) (BPALAKAF)

Keywords

Drinking water treatment
Regional water authority
Water utility services
Wholesale water supply
Nitrate removal treatment

Where Central Iowa Water Works is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: West Des Moines
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

Central Iowa Water Works business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Wholesale Water Sales: CIWW generates revenue through wholesale water rates charged to its 12 member utilities and municipalities for water treatment and production services. Members share costs of major capital expansions based on each member's share of growth and individual need for more water.
Infrastructure Cost Sharing: Members collaborate on decisions to expand and build treatment plants, secure water resources and plan regionally, sharing capital costs proportionally based on usage and growth projections.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Wholesale water rates for member utilities

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Central Iowa Water Works product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Central Iowa Water Works is a regional drinking water authority that produces and treats wholesale drinking water for 12 founding member utilities and municipalities across Central Iowa through a network of seven water treatment plants, an ion-exchange Nitrate Removal Facility, Aquifer Storage and Recovery wells, an Infiltration Gallery, the Dale Maffitt Reservoir, and the Jordan Aquifer source. Members then handle local distribution, billing, and customer service to more than 600,000 end users. CIWW supplements production with the Smart Watering conservation program and a regional Water Use Plan that imposes staged restrictions during high-demand or poor water-quality events.

Product overview

Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) is a regional drinking water authority that operates as a unified infrastructure providing water treatment and production services across Central Iowa. The organization does not offer a software product or platform in the traditional sense; rather, it delivers essential water utility services through a network of seven water treatment plants (Fleur Drive, L.D. McMullen, Saylorville, Grimes, A.C. Ward, and Polk City), water storage facilities (Dale Maffitt Reservoir), and specialized treatment systems (Nitrate Removal Facility, Aquifer Storage and Recovery wells). The core product is the regional drinking water treatment and distribution system, supplemented by the Smart Watering Program for conservation and the Water Use Plan for demand management during water quality challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Fleur Drive Water Treatment Plant
Nitrate Removal Facility
L.D. McMullen Treatment Plant
Saylorville Water Treatment Plant
A.C. Ward Municipal Water Treatment Plant
Grimes Water Treatment Plants
Polk City Water Treatment Plant
Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Wells
Dale Maffitt Reservoir
Water Use Plan
Smart Watering Program

Quantifiable outcome

Drinking water has met nitrate standard for more than three decades with average below 5mg/L for over 20 years
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use Central Iowa Water Works

Customer profile

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Central Iowa Water Works technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Central Iowa Water Works partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

State of Iowa / Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025State partnership providing $25 million grant for nitrate removal facility expansion. Additionally, CIWW supports the State's $52 million initiative over 12 years for conservation practices in the Greater Des Moines watershed, focused on reducing nutrient runoff through cover crops, edge-of-field buffers, wetlands, and managed grazing systems.
Iowa State Hygienic LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as a certified laboratory for confirming water quality test results when home test strip accuracy is questioned.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSGS operates monitoring stations on the Raccoon River (at Van Meter, IA) and Des Moines River (at 2nd Avenue in Des Moines) providing continuous water quality data including nitrate concentrations.

Scale indicators23 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Central Iowa Water Works competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

San Diego County Water Authority: Regional wholesale water supplier serving San Diego County's 24 member agencies with ~3.3 million residents. Comparable wholesale-only regional authority model with multi-source portfolio (imported + local), member-driven governance, and large-scale conveyance infrastructure.
Denver Water: Largest water utility in Colorado serving ~1.5 million people across the Denver metro area. Comparable as a regional drinking water authority operating multiple treatment facilities with diversified source portfolio (mountain reservoirs, deep aquifers), planned multi-billion capex programs, and tiered drought response protocols.
DC Water: Regional water and wastewater authority serving the District of Columbia and surrounding jurisdictions. Comparable as a multi-jurisdictional regional authority with shared governance, large capital programs (e.g., Clean Rivers project), advanced treatment (RO, UV), and federal regulatory oversight.
Tacoma Water: Municipal water utility serving Tacoma, WA and parts of Pierce and King counties with ~200,000 customers. Comparable as a mid-sized regional water provider with surface water (Green River) and groundwater sources, multiple treatment facilities, and active watershed protection programs.
Des Moines Water Works: Major founding member and contract operator for CIWW's Fleur Drive facility. Operates as a board-governed municipal water utility serving Des Moines and surrounding areas; directly comparable as a regional drinking water provider in the same Iowa geography with overlapping customer base and treatment infrastructure.
WSSC Water: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission serves ~1.8 million residents across Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. Comparable regional bi-county authority with shared governance model, multi-source portfolio, large capital improvement programs, and significant treatment infrastructure footprint.

Broad incumbents

American Water Works Company: Largest publicly traded US water and wastewater utility serving ~14 million people across 14 states. Comparable as a regulated water utility operator at scale, though investor-owned and geographically diversified versus CIWW's public/government, single-region structure.
Essential Utilities: Multi-state water and natural gas utility serving ~5 million people across 9 states. Comparable as a regulated water utility at scale, but investor-owned with diversified geography; less directly comparable on the regional-authority governance model.
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Massive regional wholesale water authority serving 26 member agencies and ~19 million people across Southern California. Comparable wholesale multi-member governance model and source diversification (State Water Project, Colorado River Aqueduct, local storage), though substantially larger in scale and asset base than CIWW.

Regional players

Severn Trent: UK-listed regulated water and wastewater company serving ~4.6 million households in the UK Midlands and Wales. Comparable as a large regulated water utility with significant capex programs and water quality investments (e.g., nitrate/phosphate compliance), though operates under a different regulatory framework (Ofwat).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Central Iowa Water Works financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Central Iowa Water Works leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Central Iowa Water Works funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Central Iowa Water Works M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Iowa Water Works

What does Central Iowa Water Works do?

Is Central Iowa Water Works a public or private company?

Central Iowa Water Works is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was Central Iowa Water Works founded?

Central Iowa Water Works was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Central Iowa Water Works based?

Central Iowa Water Works is headquartered in West Des Moines, United States, in the North America region.

How does Central Iowa Water Works make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Wholesale Water Sales are the primary driver. The others are infrastructure Cost Sharing.

Who are Central Iowa Water Works's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are San Diego County Water Authority, Denver Water, DC Water, Tacoma Water, Des Moines Water Works and WSSC Water. Broad incumbents are American Water Works Company, Essential Utilities and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Severn Trent is listed as a regional player.

Does Central Iowa Water Works have an API?

No public API is recorded for Central Iowa Water Works.

What industry is Central Iowa Water Works in?

Central Iowa Water Works's product category is Water Utility Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAG, Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration, with a secondary code of EUANAAAG, Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory). Its NAICS code is 22131 and its SIC code is 4941.