Do you have projects requiring digging in youryard? Before you
dig, be sure to include themost important step in your project
plans:
iOWA ONe CAll. Iowa one Call services arefrEE and telephones are
answered 24 hours aday. utilities, including Des Moines Water
Works, have 48 hours after you request tolocate any underground
facilities they have in the area
and mark their location with flags or painted lines.after the
excavation area is marked, you will be able
to avoid any underground services, preventing a loss ofvital
services and added expenses for repairs.
Call 1-800-292-8989 before you dig. It’s fast, it’s free,it’s
the law! you can alsoaccess important informationat
www.iowaonecall.com.
May & June 2010
Contents:2010 Water Quality reportBotanical Center Events
Warmer weather has all of us itching to do a little yard work. a
commonly asked question of Des Moines WaterWorks Customer service
representatives is in regards to lawn sprinkler andirrigation
systems. Before you install a built-in irrigation system or do
any
watering in your yard, you should keep the following information
in mind. Des Moines Water Works and your community’s permits
department have a
specific process for obtaining an irrigation meter. the
installation cost of an irriga-tion meter can cost $300-$500 or
more, as a licensed plumber must connectlawn irrigation piping and
house hose bibs to this special meter. In Des Moines,Des Moines
Water Works uses the monthly readings from the irrigation meter
tosubtract the usage from the sewer service portion of your monthly
statement.
Built-in lawn irrigation systems require the instal-lation of a
backflow device. all area irrigation sys-tem installers are aware
of this requirement. these backflow devices must be testedannually
by a certified tester. this is a requirement of the state Public
Health Departmentand city ordinances. there are many certified
testers in the Des Moines metro area. Lookin your phone book under
the categories of backflow prevention devices, plumbing contractors
or garden and lawn, for a listing of companies that install
irrigation systems.Many specifically state they have certified
backflow testers. another helpful resource islocated at:
http://www.dmww.com/subPageHtML.aspx?subPageID=11. Here, you will
finda listing of certified backflow testers in the state.
If you are interested in obtaining an irrigation meter, you must
first obtain a permit forthe irrigation meter and any required
backflow prevention devices (see box at left). alicensed plumber
must install a meter compatible with Des Moines Water Works
equipment.
Irrigation systems do a great job of keeping your lawn and
garden green and beautiful. these systems do require regular
maintenance and adjustment to insure theright amount of water is
used when it is needed.
timing your lawn watering will also help you use water wisely.
Des Moines WaterWorks, in cooperation with other metropolitan area
water utilities, has developed the
"using Water Wisely" program. this is an educational, voluntary
customer program aimed at reducing water use duringhot, dry summer
days. Customers can do this by eliminating lawn watering during the
hottest part of the day (10:00a.m.-5:00 p.m.) and spreading out
water use over several days through oDD - EVEn day watering before
10:00 a.m.and after 5:00 p.m. this watering approach reduces the
peak load on our water facilities which extends their capacityand
useful life.
also, if you are considering sodding this year, the later half
of the month of august and september are the bestmonths to do so.
avoiding the hot days of July and early august will save you
watering costs. Let’s all use our preciouswater wisely!
irrigation SystemsWatEr you Can trust for liFe
Des MoinesWater W rks
Water You Can Trust for LifeFor more information, visit
www.dmww.com.
H OLNEi2
Des Moines Residents
City of Des Moines Permit and Development Center(515)
283-4200
Pleasant Hill Residents
Community Development Building Division (515) 309-9461
Unincorporated Polk County
Residents
Polk County Engineers(515) 286-3705
Windsor Heights Residents
City of Windsor Heights Permit and Development Center(515)
279-3662
Call Before You Dig!
MayJune2010:MayJune2010 4/19/2010 4:31 PM Page 1
Look for Des Moines WaterWorks’ 2010 ConsumerConfidence report
inyour next month’s statement.
for more than 15years, water supplied byDes Moines Water
Worksmeets and surpasses allstate and federal drinkingwater
standards. Pleasetake time to read yourannual ConsumerConfidence
report – it isimportant to understand the facts about the quality
waterdelivered to you. If you have questions regarding thereport or
water quality, please contact (515) 283-8700.
Des Moines Botanical &
environmental Center eventsToddler Time
May 25 & June 29 · 10:00 a.m.
Enjoy a story with a garden theme, music and move-ment.
accompanied by an adult caregiver, childrenages 1-3 are invited to
dance, sing, and play, as theyenjoy the company of children their
own age. this veryspecial morning always ends with a treasure hunt
in thedome. Children 1-3 are $1.00, regular admission ratesapply
for other children and adults.
Story Time in the Gardens
June through July · 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Inspired by the popular books, the Very Hungry Caterpillarand
the Grouchy Ladybug, by author Eric Carle, the summer gardens will
include a 16-foot caterpillar andlarger-than-life ladybugs greeting
you as you walk intothe tropical dome. Visitors will also be
educated oninsects and the benefits of them throughout the
Dome.Designed by horticulturist, angie Buchanan.
Buggy About Plants
June 6 · 12:00-4:00 pm
“Buggy about Plants” highlights some of the bugs authorEric
Carle writes about. Have some fun while learningabout honeybees
from the usDa and butterflies from DesMoines’ Butterfly Lady, Kathy
Ziemer. Enjoy some hands-on activity by holding some live insects
from the BlankPark Zoo. you can also help with the ladybug release
tobe conducted twice during the day. Educational activitysheets and
other insect activities for kids will be availableon the balcony.
Enjoy the creativity of aJ’s CopperGarden sculptures, including
giant copper bugs and butterflies placed throughout the Botanical
Center and in the Dome.
Flower Power 5K Run and 1 Mile Walk
June 12 · 8:00 am
sign up for Des Moines Botanical & EnvironmentalCenter's 3rd
annual flower Power by visiting: www.botanicalcenter.com or calling
(515) 323-6290.
Father’s Day at the Botanical Center
June 20 · 10:00 am-5:00 pm
fathers can enjoy free admission to the Des MoinesBotanical
& Environmental Center!
2201 George Flagg Parkway | Des Moines, IA 50321
(515) 283-8700 | www.dmww.com
Printed on recycled paper.
Des MoinesWater W rks
Water You Can Trust for Life
admission to the Botanical Center for all attendees during our
public hours Private party room · Vinyl birthday banner · Bring in
your own cake
Gift for the birthday child · Goodie bag for each
attendeescavenger hunt activity in the Dome · Party game in private
party room
Party themed paper plates, napkins and forks for your cake
Packages starting at $200.00, including:
909 robert D. ray Drive • Des Moines, Ia 50316
515.323.6290 • www.botanicalcenter.com
Water You CanTrust for life
FACT: the amount of water leaking from plumbingfixtures in u.s.
homes could exceed more than 1 trillion gallons a year. If one out
of every tenamerican homes addressed their leaky plumbingfixtures,
it could save more than 400 million kilowatt-hours of electricity
annually, avoiding approximately315,000 tons of greenhouse gas
emissions - that'sequivalent to taking nearly 55,000 cars off the
road.
FACT: Letting your faucet run for five minutes usesabout as much
energy as letting a 60-watt light bulbrun for 14 hours. and that is
for CoLD water.
FACT: If everyone in america reduced the length oftheir shower
by one minute, it would save approximately 180 billion gallons of
water a year andabout $3 billion in water associated costs. Could
youmanage to shave off one minute of shower time?
FACT: 70% of the Earth is covered by water, but only1% of that
is accessible freshwater. that 1% supportsall life on the planet -
including its 6.8 billion people.
source: Environmental Protection agency (EPa)
MayJune2010:MayJune2010 4/19/2010 4:31 PM Page 2
