Belle Plaine remains cautious with water

BELLE PLAINE — Summer rains have ended drought conditions in Iowa, but after its recent extended battle with extreme drought, Belle Plaine remains cautious with its water.

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Belle Plaine’s water table rebounded about six feet following rain this summer, said City Administrator Steve Beck.

Though the State’s drought monitor says Belle Plaine is no longer in a drought, the water table is still about 48 inches down, said Beck.

A four-year trend encourages Beck to keep the city under water restrictions.

“Seems like we’re in a drought trend,” said Beck. “I’m being very conservative with our water management.”

Beck said he works with Chad Coburn, executive director of Poweshiek Water Association (“He’s a guru,” Beck said) and with Middle Iowa Watershed Management Authority when addressing water issues.

During the height of the drought in Benton County, Belle Plaine stopped flushing hydrants to conserve water. Residents complained about the resulting discolored water.

That problem has been alleviated.

“We did flush our hydrants,” said Beck. “We did strategic flushing.” He hasn’t heard any water complaints from residents in a couple of months, he said.

Beck would like to flush hydrants again in the fall, if the water levels hold.

Beck is concerned not only with water availability but with its quality and with soil quality.

“I feel water quality is the number one thing we need to be prepared for the future,” said Beck. “That’s how these towns started, a lot of them, along the river.

“We need to get our surface water under control and our runoff under control,” Beck said.

Beck said he grew up with wells and artesian wells. People are going back to that, he said, because the earth is the best water filter.

Poweshiek Water

In March, Poweshiek Water enacted a mandatory conservation order. It lifted the order Aug. 1.

Over the past several of months, Poweshiek Water has sought additional water sources at its Amana Plant and upgraded its Tama Plant, according to its website.

This year’s rains have adequately restored its aquifer, the company says. Rain has also hindered the use of drilling equipment in overly wet well-fields.

Increased agricultural spraying has had a major impact, says the company. Its engineering firm is conducting a capacity study to ensure the company can meet those needs.

Drought in the Midwest

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Integrated Drought Information System, drought and its impacts vary from region to region due to differences in climate.

Precipitation extremes in the Midwest have a major impact on the region’s resources, economic sectors and residents.

Over the last century, precipitation trends in the Midwest have been moving toward wetter conditions and fewer droughts than the region experienced in the early 20th century, according to NOAA.

However, the Midwest has still felt adverse impacts during recent droughts, particularly in 1988 and 2012. These adverse impacts include limited barge transportation on major rivers, decreased agricultural production, challenges for municipal water supply and quality, and reduced productivity for hydropower.

In fall 2022, drought conditions across portions of the Mississippi River Basin caused river levels to drastically lower, which had a significant impact on the transportation of goods along the river.

An added challenge in recent years has been the tendency to transition from drought to flood and back to drought within short time spans, sometimes within a matter of months, as well as flash drought, which is a drought that intensifies rapidly, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.