WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Central Iowa Water Works announced in a press conference on Friday that it will be loosening the lawn watering ban that has been in place for over a month.

Executive Director of CIWW Tami Madsen said that the decision comes after nitrate levels in the infiltration gallery have declined under 10 mg/L over the past several days.

Officials said the easing of restrictions will begin on Tuesday and will follow an evens, odds approach for residential properties. Those with an even address can water their lawns on Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday, and those with an odd address can water on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday.

In June, CIWW enacted the first-ever ban on lawn watering for its customers after nitrates reached near record levels in the rivers. CIWW said the ban was necessary, as water treatment plants struggled to produce enough water that met the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) water safety standard of a maximum of 10 mg/L of nitrates.

Since the ban was enacted, officials say they’ve seen demand drop roughly 30%, allowing plants to produce enough safe water. As a result, CIWW slowly started relaxing restrictions, like allowing new sod to be installed under a tracking program.

Heavy rainfall throughout July has caused source waters to fluctuate above and below the 10 mg/L threshold. CIWW said that in order to lift the ban, at least one of the rivers needs to consistently measure at or below the EPA standard. Madsen said during the press conference that while they’ve seen nitrate levels decline in source waters and in the gallery, it’s important that the public follow the watering schedule to ensure demand can still be met and the watering ban can be fully lifted in the future.

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