Important Update RE: Lower Intake Project at West Lake: 11/19/23

On November 21, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  

On 11/18/2023 and 11/19/2023 divers were onsite at West Lake.  By the end of the day on the 19th, the reconfigured intake extension was successfully installed and water works crews tested pulling water from that lower intake. Due to low lake levels, Water Works staff will begin transitioning over to pulling water from the lower intake in the next few weeks.  Osceola Water Works will continue to provide updates before this change occurs. With the extra capacity added from raising the intake, the seasonal decrease in usage as well as the success with conservation measures, Osceola Water Works estimates the

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Important Update Regarding Lower Intake Project at West Lake: 11/15/23

On November 15, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
water intake updated for osceola's west lake

Below is a schedule of activities pertaining to raising the lower intake: Nov 4 – 5 Dive team was onsite to install components to raise the lower intake 4 feet.  A large rock located in the intake area created challenges for the divers to effectively raise the intake.  It was determined that a portion of the rock would need to be removed. Nov 11 Dive team was onsite to cut a decent sized chunk of the rock out of the way.  They now feel they have enough clearance to raise the intake. Nov 18 – 19 Four dive team members

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State of Osceola’s Water – Town Hall Follow-up

On November 2, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
Osceola Water Works - State of Osceola's Water Town Hall Meeting

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the State of Osceola’s Water Town Hall meeting last week. There were a lot of great discussions and actions items developed or reinforced from the event. Overall we think it was a success and appreciate everyone’s time. 

In our most recent post, we’ve put together a summary of the meeting and the top action items taken from the conversations. We’ve also included the full, 2-hour video of the meeting for anyone who has missed it or would like to watch it again.

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Special Event – Town Hall Discussion – State of Osceola’s Water

On October 19, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
special Town Hall Meeting about Osceola's drought and water emergency

the Osceola Water Works Team is bringing city officials and those who know the most current conditions of Osceola’s water supply together to have an open “Town Hall Discussion” on the state of Osceola’s water. The special event information – Location, time, topic details, etc. – is in the recent post at Osceolawaterworks.com.

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Urgent Update on Water Levels in Osceola’s West Lake Reservoir (Video)

On October 13, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates, Newsletters  
osceola west lake drought video

The Osceola Water Works team continues to provide updates to the community about drought conditions and to guide customers in efforts to help conserve water. In this post, we provide additional information in the form of video to help illustrate the severity of our ongoing drought situation.

We ask that all Osceola Water Works customers, including residential, commercial, and industrial do their part to help the community and conserve water. For more information on the Water Conservation Ordinance, Section 3 – Water Emergency, please click through to the Osceola Water Works website.

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Drought Conditions Force Osceola Water Board To Increase Water Restrictions

On October 6, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
drought conditions in osceola, iowa continue to worssen

The Osceola Water Works Board of Trustees has been closely monitoring water levels at West Lake – Osceola, Iowa’s only water source. With much of the state in drought conditions and output from the lake already exceeding safe withdrawal limits, the board hoped to see some relief in the form of rain, but with no precipitation across the area in recent weeks and none in the immediate forecast, the board acted Thursday night to implement Section 3 of the Water Conservation Ordinance, prohibiting use of municipal water services outside restricted parameters and emergency situations. According to HDR Engineering, the safe

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Osceola Water Board Passes Resolution Opposing Public Measure

On September 29, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  

(OSCEOLA, IA – SEPTEMBER 27, 2023) At a special meeting of the Osceola Water Works Board of Trustees, the board voted unanimously to oppose a public measure that will be on the ballot in the upcoming November 7, 2023, election. The public measure calls for the dissolution of the 88-year long Board’s management of the Water Works operations, to be taken on by the Osceola City Council. It’s the Board’s position that any transfer of operational management would be detrimental to the community’s water service and to the residents they are dedicated to serve. With Osceola in a severe drought

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Water Board Asks for Conservation Diligence as Drought Conditions Worsen

On September 19, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
drought levels in osceola west lake

While recent rains did little to mitigate the drought conditions plaguing the entire state, the measurements at Osceola’s West Lake over this past week show water levels continue to drop. On Tuesday the 5th of September, the measurement at the spillway was 61” below normal pool levels. With this information, the Water Board and employees at Osceola Water Works are asking the community to stay diligent with all levels of voluntary water conservation. “With West Lake being Osceola’s only viable water supply, we’re watching levels closely to make sure we can serve our customers safe, clean drinking water,” said Brandon

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New Water Works Board Member and Staff Added to Represent Diverse Community

On August 23, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
new water works employees osceola iowa

The Osceola Water Works Board recently had a vacancy with the resignation of board member, Kevin Rivera. Rivera’s absence revealed a loss in representation for the Osceola Water Works customer base. With the Hispanic population increasing throughout the area – 2020 U.S. Census records show Osceola with a 25.9% Hispanic population, 6.8% more than the National segment – the Water Board’s decision to make sure proper representation was maintained made the search for Rivera’s replacement take a little longer than initially expected. Sandra Ramos, the newest addition to the Water Works Board, was appointed on August 15th and will participate

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Water Works Board Passes Section 2 Water Conservation Ordinance

On August 4, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
osceola drought conditions august 3 2023

In the Thursday, August 3rd water board meeting, the Osceola Water Works board passed resolution 2023-20 authorizing the implementation of Section 2 of the Water Conservation Ordinance. Due to an exceedingly dry Spring and continued dryer than normal Summer, the water levels at West Lake have seen little to no improvement over drought conditions from 2022. Even with recent rains, the lake levels remain more than 4 feet below drought stage. “We’ve really wanted to avoid this,” said Brandon Patterson, Water Works Superintendent. “But with the entire state under drought conditions, and our lake levels diminishing, we need to be

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