In the early 1930s, many of the wells within Urbandale began to go dry, creating a need for another water supply. On July 4, 1934 the citizens of Urbandale voted and approved a connection to Des Moines Water Works (DMWW). The project was completed on September 13, 1934, resulting in the connection of 50 homes, 26 fire hydrants and the installation of 4.6 miles of water main to create Urbandale’s public water system. Pursuant to an election held on March 2, 1936, the management and control of municipally owned water utility was placed in the hands of the Board of Trustees.
The city of Urbandale has grown from one connection to DMMW to seven different connections. The Urbandale Water Utility has three booster stations, two elevated water storage tanks and approximately 200 miles of pipe to meet the ever-increasing demands for water.
From 1993-2005 the Urbandale Water Utility participated with DMWW in the construction of the Louise Moon Booster Station, LD McMullen Treatment Plant and the Saylorville Treatment Plant to secure 15.3 million gallons per day of capacity for the Urbandale Water Utility.
On December 11, 2012 the Urbandale Water Utility Board of Trustees approved the purchase of 30 acres of land located at 63rd Street and Sutton Drive as a potential site to construct a water treatment plant. Also purchased were approximately 200 acres of quarries for source water in Johnston, adjacent to the Des Moines River, to ensure the Urbandale Water Utility can meet the future needs of the city.