Annual Hydrant Flushing Complete – Out With the Old in With the New

On November 26, 2024   /   General Water Works News  

Osceola Water Works staff has finalized this year’s fire hydrant flushing with minimal water waste thanks to a local business. Over the past few weeks, Water Department employees made their way around the city and opened fire hydrants for a short period of time, allowing them to flow freely. By doing this, staff were able to perform routine maintenance on the hydrants, making sure they were in good working condition in case of a fire. This process also cleans out sediment that has settled in the water mains and is just one of the ways Osceola Water Works makes sure

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Osceola Water Works Customer Notification Regarding EPA Lead Service Line Inventory

On November 12, 2024   /   General Water Works News  

Osceola Water Works is focused on providing safe drinking water and protecting the health of every household in our community.  In the coming days, some residents of the City of Osceola will receive a notification regarding their existing water pipe (called a service line) that connects the home, building or other structure to the water main.  This notification is being issued to property owners and tenants to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.  As part of the requirements of the 1986 Congressional Safe Drinking Water Act – Lead Ban, the Federal Government banned the installation of new lead

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Recent Rainfall Welcomed at the City of Osceola’s, Clarke County Water Source West Lake

On November 5, 2024   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  

After almost 4 years of drought across the state of Iowa, water levels in West Lake saw a reprieve in April and May with some welcomed rainfall. Osceola Water Works eased water restrictions on June 6, 2024.  But then in late July, water levels in West Lake began trending downward as the state of Iowa again started experiencing below average rainfall.  By September 13, 2024, much of the state was back in some form of drought. On August 14, 2024, Osceola Water Works partnered with Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) and completed some system improvements that allow SIRWA to

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NOTICE: Osceola Water Works Makes Switch from Chloramines to Free Chlorine

On October 7, 2024   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
annual change to free chlorine

Starting on Monday, October 7, 2024 and continuing thru November 7, 2024, Osceola Water Works will make a temporary change in the disinfectant used in water treatment. Osceola’s annual switch from chloramines to free chlorine is a common practice in water treatment and OWW goes through the process every fall. Free chlorine is a stronger disinfectant than chloramine, but it cannot be used year-round because it creates byproducts that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The use of ammonia with chlorine – chloramines – reduces or eliminates these byproducts and helps Osceola Water Works continue to provide clean and safe

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A Positive Conservation Outlook, as Data Shows Lake Levels Holding Steady

On February 6, 2024   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates  
osceola iowa west lake levels

Osceola Water Works and City Officials are sharing a positive outlook at trending lake levels in Osceola’s West Lake. With seasonal usage down and steady conservation commitment from the community and local businesses, engineering data, physical water level measurements in West Lake and more show levels stabilizing.

Click through to the latest to read more…

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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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Water Works Team Addresses Water Quality at Lower Levels

On November 13, 2023   /   General Water Works News, Important Water Works Updates, Newsletters  

With the lower levels of water in West Lake, quality challenges have become more apparent and require a change in the disinfection process. To help mitigate bacteria and other issues at lower levels in West Lake, a free-chlorine disinfection process will begin.

Click through to learn what you can do about the changes in your water…

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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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