Urbandale water utility staff briefed the City Council on a proposed aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) well that would inject treated water into the deep Jordan Aquifer and later withdraw it during summer peak demand.

Neil Weiss, director of the new Urban Water Utility, said the project would inject treated Central Water Works water into the aquifer and recover stored supply during high-demand months. Weiss told the council the system could supply up to 3 million gallons per day during peak summer pumping, and staff estimate roughly a 90-day typical high-use season for ASR pumping. He said completion of the project would add resiliency to both Urbandale's system and the regional supply.

Because drilling must be continuous once started, staff outlined a mitigation plan to limit noise during the 3-to-4-month drilling campaign. Weiss cited recent local examples: West Des Moines and Des Moines Water Works both used temporary steel H-beams and sound-attenuation panels to create a performance-spec sound wall; West Des Moines recorded 30'40 decibel levels outside the wall during drilling. Weiss said the contractor must meet specified decibel performance levels and staff plan regular monitoring.

Weiss said the city has received its water-use permit from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, completed preliminary groundwater modeling, secured an SRF planning-and-design loan and obtained a formal approval from Central Water Works. Staff proposed beginning detailed design later in 2025 (a roughly 12-month design period) with construction in 2027 and drilling anticipated from May to August 2027.

Council members pressed for public outreach before the city requests a noise variance and asked that the variance request come to council rather than be approved administratively. Council members also asked for in-person briefings for nearby residents; Weiss agreed and said the design consultant would hold public meetings during design and that noise testing and an on-site resident project representative would be part of construction monitoring.

Weiss said ASR water will be treated water meeting drinking-water standards before injection; staff said they will conduct water-quality testing on recovered water and perform chemical adjustments as needed before distribution. Weiss emphasized there will be no long-term noise or vibration impacts when the facility is operational because pumps and equipment will be housed inside a building.

The council did not vote on a variance at the meeting; staff said they planned to return with a formal variance request and asked for direction on public outreach and monitoring expectations before that request.