Water Resource Recovery Department

The Water Resource Recovery Department opened the new facility in October 2022. The previous location was our home for 45 years. The plant is located northwest of Indianola. As the city grew, so did the sewer system. We outgrew our old location and decided to build a new plant. Federal grants primarily funded the new plant construction. 

The team is in charge of seven Lift Stations throughout Indianola as well as 68 pumps associated with the equipment on a daily basis. 

The team consists of a Director, four State Licensed Operators, and one apprentice. There is always an Operator on call 24/7 in case of emergencies; an emergency may be a failure of equipment or sewer backups and many other things.

In addition, WRRD maintains the collection system, which includes estimated 93 miles of City sewer mains and 2,100 manholes located throughout the City. Routine maintenance includes cleaning of the mains with the Jet/Vac Truck, inspecting with sewer camera equipment, and making repairs as needed. They also inspect all repairs made to private sewer services to insure that they are compliant with City policies and standards.

Staff perform daily lab monitoring/testing of the wastewater before and after treatment to ensure that the treated wastewater leaving the plant is in compliance with EPA (Federal) and IDNR (State) regulations. Operators rotate through the lab in seven-day rotations to ensure the accuracy and consistency of testing.