(Radio Iowa) – Around 600-thousand central Iowans would get their water from the Central Iowa Water Works, under a plan to combine the Des Moines Water Works with 12 other systems. They would share wells, river intakes, treatment plants and other infrastructure under the plan. Des Moines Water Works C-E-O Ted Corrigan says a combined system would be more resilient, for instance, when drought makes water scarce.

“The last thing we want to do is start fighting over which community, which growing community, which established community, has the rights to use that water,” Corrigan says. “We want to work together.” Once a final agreement is approved, Corrigan says it would take about one more year for the new entity to take over operations. West Des Moines Water Works General Manager Christina Murphy says sharing infrastructure will spread out the cost of expanding in the future.

“Those technologies are not cheap,” Murphy says. “Going where you can find the best source water quality or the best quantity of water helps keep costs down for everybody.” Public meetings are planned in Des Moines and West Des Moines beginning this week to take public comment on the proposal.

Under the plan, the regional utility would provide water at the same wholesale rate to member utilities, and those members would still be in charge of delivering drinking water to homes and businesses.