The Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation is dedicated to enhancing Water Works Park in Des Moines, Iowa, by integrating education, conservation, recreation, and health to improve the quality of life for Central Iowans. To protect the watershed and fulfill its mission, over time, DMWW acquired approximately 1,500 acres of land within the city of Des Moines, creating Water Works Park. Although man
y of us know Water Works Park as a natural playground for humans and animals alike, the Park’s primary mission is to serve as the first water source for Des Moines Water Works. It plays a crucial role in meeting the drinking water needs of 500,000 central Iowans, providing a reliable and secure water source. Unseen by the Park’s thousands of annual visitors, a three-mile-long pipe, known as the “Infiltration Gallery System,” runs underground and parallel to the Raccoon River. The Gallery collects naturally filtered water from the sand and gravel of the river valley. The ponds in Water Works Park, most visibly used for recreational fishing, were strategically constructed to help saturate the soil along the gallery system, thereby enhancing its efficiency. The Gallery provides Des Moines Water Works with up to 20 million gallons of water each day, which is needed for water treatment. At the time of its installation in the late 1800s, the Gallery was a wholly unique and innovative system developed to naturally filter the water. The centerpiece of the Master Plan continues this innovation with “The Circuit,” which will not only provide recreational opportunities, but more importantly, enhance Gallery capacity.
