Des Moines Water Works and the Des Moines Wastewater Reclamation Authority will commission a $2.5 million pump station today that will direct nitrates removed from the Raccoon River for special treatment so they can be reused on farm fields in Polk and Jasper counties. For more than 25 years, Water Works has been issued a permit to discharge the waste from its Nitrate Removal Facility back into the Raccoon River, according to a release. Over the past few years, Water Works worked with regulators at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the staff at WRA on a process to divert Nitrate Removal Facility waste from entering the Raccoon River at the Fleur Drive plant. The WRA will receive the nitrate waste and treat it through controlled biological environments. The resulting biosolids will be used for soil treatments. “Investing in multimillion-dollar capital improvements to enhance treatment processes is one solution to deal with pollution in our source waters; however, improved upstream land use practices can reduce nutrient concentrations in downstream drinking water sources,” said Ted Corrigan, Water Works interim CEO and general manager. “All Iowans need to take responsibility for improving Iowa’s water quality. We encourage everyone to think downstream and consider what they may do to help make Iowa’s water safe for drinking and recreation.”