Webster City’s utilities — all of them — have been undergoing dynamic change in recent years.

Construction continues on the new Reisner Substation in the industrial park. When completed it will be the largest in the city. Moreover, contingency plans are in place to enlarge Reisner to meet the needs of population growth, new industry or both in the future.

The electric utility is also methodically pursuing a long-range plan to bury electric service lines in the city for improved reliability, reduced maintenance, and protection from high wind and ice. When all this work is complete, the city’s electrical capabilities will be better than at any time in history.

These improvements are timely. A new study by Midcontinent Independent System Operators, the nonprofit agency that manages the power grid in parts of 12 states in the central U.S., forecasts demand for electric power in Iowa will increase 30-60% in the next 20 years. The primary drivers of demand are new data centers and increasing use of electric vehicles.

Two other utilities — the wastewater treatment plant and water treatment plant — will be almost completely rebuilt in their existing locations. These plans not only make use of existing real estate and facilities, but upgrades them to new performance standards.

The next step for the wastewater plant is submission of its reconstruction plan to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which will review its conformity with clean water standards. The plan must be approved by the DNR, and a permit issued, before any construction can begin.

Webster City’s water treatment plant is worn out. A key reason is the raw water flowing to the plant from the city’s three artesian wells has extremely high mineral content, resulting in hard water. Hard water isn’t good for cooking or drinking and can quickly destroy plumbing fixtures such as pipes, toilets, taps, sinks and water heaters.

Thus, the main task at the local water treatment plant is water softening. Using the proven lime-soda ash process, the plant reduces water hardness from about 450 parts per million (ppm) to an average 120-150 ppm, which is softer, but still considered “moderately hard to hard.”

Processing this very hard water taxes the plant’s machinery. The high PH levels found in the lime softening process are corrosive to iron and steel machinery and components. Another problem is buildup of calcium-carbonate scale, which damages pipes, reduces water flow and requires nearly continuous and expensive maintenance.

Darin Jacobs, P.E., manages the water resources group for Ankeny-based Snyder & Associates and is overseeing the work at both the wastewater and water treatment plants.

Jacobs convinced the city staff and City Council of Webster City before and during the council meeting Monday that the existing water treatment plant can be repaired and upgraded in-situ, saving the millions a new plant on a greenfield site would cost.

Funding for the first three projects to address the most pressing needs at the water treatment plant were approved Monday by the council. An estimated $53,440 will be spent to buy a new filter airwash blower from W.T. Equipment, of Ames. Another $9,500 will be spent to install pipe and electrical equipment in connection with the blower.

A second project will see an estimated $92,831 spent on a new elevator. The elevator is in daily use moving water treatment chemicals and equipment from the main to second floor.

Finally, a $213,000 contract, awarded to Grell Roofing, Fort Dodge, will replace the roofs on both the plant and adjacent garage, both of which are life-expired.

City Manager John Harrenstein cited work by Jacobs and Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Supervisor Nick Knoles in working together to control costs on work at the water treatment plant. “They reduced the cost of improvements from in the neighborhood of $10 to 12 million to just $2 million. These are improvements that add another 10 to 15 years of life for the plant.”

Finally, the council agreed with city staff that the time has come to separate out the stormwater utility and create a rate structure to fund it into the future. Storm sewers manage stormwater runoff, mitigate risks from flooding, and protect surface water quality. The increasing number of intense thunderstorms in recent years has made it clear our present system can’t cope.

A new addition to the City of Webster City Code of Ordinances of 2019, Article VI provides for establishment of a dedicated Stormwater Utility Fund.

The council simultaneously approved a new flat-rate structure to fund the new stormwater utility.

When the rate goes into effect, single-family homes and duplexes will each be assessed $3 per month for stormwater services. Multiple-family buildings will pay $3 per housing unit, plus $10 for the complex monthly. Schools, churches and commercial properties will all pay a $10 monthly fee; industries will be charged $20 each month.

Revenues raised from these fees will be set aside for stormwater-related purposes: operation and maintenance of the system, implementing water quality improvements, complying with state and federal regulations, and capital investments in drainage and flood mitigation projects. New, separate capital and operating expense budgets will be developed and updated annually under the city’s existing budgeting systems.

A 2023 survey identified 177 separate storm water utilities in Iowa, most in larger cities or suburbs.