Des Moines Water Works CEO and General Manager Bill Stowe has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form of cancer [that] provides very few options for treatment,” he said in a letter to the utility’s board of directors. 

Stowe, who was named Water Works’ top executive in August 2012, said in the letter that he plans to work as as long as he is able. “I am putting an immediate emphasis on time with my family and friends. As we navigate this unfamiliar and unwelcome challenge, I ask that you respect my family’s privacy,” he said. 

In a release, board chair Diane Munns said: “We are saddened by this news and prepared to work with Bill through this difficult time. Bill will continue to lead as he is able. The utility and our community at large appreciate Bill’s continued leadership and all he has done through the years. The utility is fortunate to have a knowledgeable and capable senior staff and active Board of Trustees to ensure continuity during this period.” 

Before his appointment at Des Water Works, Stowe had directed the city of Des Moines Public Works Department since 1999. Previously, he was the city human resources director and also has worked as operations manager for MidAmerican Energy Co., as well as an analyst for Shell Oil, labor relations representative for Inland Steel Industries and a field examiner for the National Labor Relations Board. 

A Business Record article in October 2012 said, “Stowe’s comforting TV persona, combined with his long hair, made him an unusual local hero, with a Facebook fan page and a T-shirt designed by Raygun that showed his face and snowflakes and read “Let it Stowe.” 

He later was the target of personal attacks after leading Water Works in a lawsuit that accused three rural counties of contributing to water pollution of the Raccoon River hat required millions of dollars to treat and distribute once it reached the Water Works. The lawsuit later was dismissed by a federal judge.

To read a Business Record Insider profile on Stowe, click here.