Central Iowa Water Works announced today that it is ending the Stage III lawn watering ban and moving to Stage I of the organization’s Water Shortage Plan, which calls for customers to voluntarily reduce outside watering by 25%. As part of the move to Stage I, starting today, local governments and school districts within the CIWW region can now resume lawn watering and irrigation. The CIWW Technical Committee said it voted to lift the ban based on its strong confidence in the system’s capacity to serve increased demand while continuing to meet all safe water drinking standards. CIWW is meeting the 10 milligrams per liter standard for safe drinking water and has done so throughout this water quality event, a news release said. “The ban is lifted, but we believe it is prudent to proceed with Stage 1 voluntary conservation measures,” Tami Madsen, executive director of Central Iowa Water Works, stated in the release. “We still see some variability in nitrate concentrations in the rivers, and we are continuing to operate the nitrate removal facility at its minimum level.” The nitrate removal facility at Fleur Drive has been running for 111 days, and this is the first time it has operated in August. Madsen added that all other operations are in normal status, and no system adjustments are required because of poor water quality. CIWW recommends continuing with the region’s even/odd lawn watering schedule. Additional awareness and conservation measures include watering before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m. and not watering right before, during or immediately after a rain.