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Windsor Heights gets its water from Des Moines Water Works. The city ran its own small water department until 1989. Since then, Des Moines Water Works has read the meters, sent the bills and cared for the city’s water pipes. The water is softened at the plant, but it still arrives a little hard. Here is what the public records show, and what it means for your home.
| Windsor Heights at a glance | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Utility | Des Moines Water Works, EPA ID IA7727031. The city’s own system, IA7791027, closed on July 3, 1989. |
| Source | Raccoon River, Des Moines River and the Water Works Park infiltration gallery. |
| Plant treatment | Lime softening at Fleur Drive and L.D. McMullen; ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis at Saylorville. |
| Hardness goal | Under 150 mg/L, or 8.76 grains per gallon. |
| Typical hardness | Plant medians of 146 to 153 mg/L (about 8.5 to 9 grains), October 2025 to October 2026. |
| Residents | 5,106 (Census 2024 estimate). |
Windsor Heights is home to about 5,100 people. In July 1989 its own water department closed, and Des Moines Water Works took over the meters, the billing and the pipes. The utility says most houses here have a 5/8-inch meter.
The water starts in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. Des Moines Water Works runs three treatment plants for Central Iowa Water Works, the regional water utility. Each plant softens the water before it heads into the pipes. Still, softened is not the same as soft. A typical day lands near 150 mg/L, and the U.S. Geological Survey calls anything from 121 to 180 mg/L hard water.
Hardness also moves with the seasons and the rivers. In September 2026, the median results at the Fleur Drive and McMullen plants were 111 and 116 mg/L, about 6.5 to 7 grains. That swing is why we test the water at your own tap before we set a softener.
Because the plants already soften, a Windsor Heights home starts from a gentler place than a home on raw well water. The plant data points to roughly 7 to 10 grains on most days. We confirm with a test at your faucet and set the softener from that number, not from a citywide average.
A water softener reduces calcium and magnesium for less scale, fewer shower deposits and less soap film. In Windsor Heights, we size the system from measured hardness, daily water use and simultaneous fixture demand, then program regeneration for the selected capacity. If a softener is already installed, compare incoming and treated water before deciding between repair and replacement. Related: Des Moines page.
For a Windsor Heights installation, we check people in the home, bathrooms, simultaneous water use, measured hardness and available flow. Then we review pipe size, existing equipment, a suitable drain, electrical access, bypass position and space for tanks and salt access. Under-sink RO also needs cabinet room, a faucet position and a drain connection; tankless equipment needs power. This makes the written recommendation useful before installation day.
A kitchen RO system provides a dedicated outlet for drinking and cooking water in Windsor Heights. Compare tank storage and tankless output, then review inlet pressure, cabinet space, a faucet position, drain connection and filter access. Tankless equipment needs power; refrigerator piping is confirmed as part of the requested scope.
The yearly water quality report that covers Windsor Heights is the one from Des Moines Water Works. Its 2026 edition counts Windsor Heights inside the Des Moines distribution results, so that is the column to read. Our Des Moines water report is built on the same supplier. For a Windsor Heights home with recurring disinfectant taste or odor, compare a whole-home carbon stage with kitchen treatment. Carbon type, media volume, available flow and contact time are selected for the actual supply. Carbon does not remove calcium and magnesium, so softening serves a separate scale-control goal.
Kind Water Co helps Windsor Heights homeowners compare water softeners, whole-home carbon filtration, kitchen reverse osmosis and repairs. Published equipment prices include standard installation and taxes. We confirm the plumbing scope, any travel or site-specific charges and the written equipment warranty before booking; installation is handled by vetted licensed and insured local plumbing professionals.
Annual RO care is $199 for a tank system or $249 for tankless. Confirm the scheduled care scope, included filters and any additional work or travel before booking. Related: instant quote.
Published options: $3,650 dual-tank well package. Standard equipment installation and taxes are included. Confirm any additional plumbing, travel and the selected system’s written warranty before booking. Related: guide to free well water testing in Iowa · well water setup.
If an existing softener in Windsor Heights stops using salt, leaks, runs constantly or leaves hard water, start with diagnosis. Share the brand, model, error code and an optional photo of the valve or plumbing. We assess bypass position, brine draw, controls and the condition of serviceable components, then explain repair versus replacement, parts availability and the cost before proceeding. Ownership includes salt for a salt-based softener, carbon-media replacement and the selected RO filter and membrane schedule. After a Windsor Heights installation, keep the settings and model information, monitor salt and leaks, and arrange a service check if water use or the supplier changes. Whole-home coverage includes lifetime parts, five-year media and one-year labor under the written terms; RO warranty is confirmed for the selected model.
Share the Windsor Heights address, water supplier or private-well information, household size and the problem you want solved. An optional photo of the current valve, plumbing and under-sink space helps plan a retrofit or repair. Call the Des Moines team at 515-709-4674 or request the Central Iowa installed quote. Coverage, visit availability, travel and additional work are confirmed before booking. Related: Request your free in-home water test · get an instant quote.
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For water softener installation or repair, whole-home water filtration, or an under-sink reverse osmosis system in Windsor Heights, contact our West Des Moines service team at 515-709-4674. We test hardness, iron and TDS before recommending equipment. Get your Central Iowa installed quote, compare published water system prices, or read our Des Moines metro softener repair guide.
Start with what the plant already does. Des Moines Water Works softens the water, but typical results still sit near 150 mg/L, about 9 grains. Most choices here come down to three pieces: a softener for the leftover hardness, a carbon stage if chlorine taste bothers you, and a kitchen RO for a separate drinking tap. We test at your faucet first and size from that number.
We check hardness, iron, total dissolved solids and a nitrate screening reading at your faucet and look at any equipment you already have. In Windsor Heights we also line your result up against the newest Des Moines Water Works plant numbers, since the city’s water comes from there. Then you get a written recommendation with the equipment, the scope and the next step.
If an existing softener in Windsor Heights stops using salt, leaks, runs constantly or leaves hard water, start with diagnosis. Share the brand, model, error code and an optional photo of the valve or plumbing. We assess bypass position, brine draw, controls and the condition of serviceable components, then explain repair versus replacement, parts availability and the cost before proceeding.
A private well near Windsor Heights needs a plan for that property. Bring the latest laboratory results for bacteria, nitrate and other concerns; we add hardness, iron, TDS and nitrate screening and assess pump flow, pressure and sediment. Treatment may combine softening, iron or sulfur treatment, sediment filtration and a suitable drinking-water RO system. A neighboring city’s report cannot describe an individual well. Polk County Environmental Health offers private-well testing for coliform, E. coli, nitrate, arsenic and manganese. Confirm eligibility and scheduling with the county. For a nitrate or other specific drinking-water concern in Windsor Heights, we start with a current certified lab result and plan treatment from it. For nitrate, that lab test covers nitrate and arsenic, and we choose the system from the results and test again after installation. The free home screening measures hardness, iron, total dissolved solids and a nitrate screening reading. Additional laboratory testing is chosen for the concern.
Des Moines Water Works. Windsor Heights closed its own water department in July 1989. Since then Des Moines Water Works has handled meter reading, billing, customer service and upkeep of the city’s water pipes. The water itself is made at plants it runs for Central Iowa Water Works.
Moderately hard to hard, depending on the day. Des Moines Water Works aims to stay under 150 mg/L (8.76 grains). From October 2025 to October 2026, the median at its three plants was 146 to 153 mg/L, or about 8.5 to 9 grains. In September 2026 two plants ran softer, near 6.5 to 7 grains. A test at your tap gives the number we use.
Published options: $2,500 softener plus carbon; $2,850 softener plus carbon with tank RO; $897 tank RO; $997 tankless RO. Standard equipment installation and taxes are included. Confirm any additional plumbing, travel and the selected system’s written warranty before booking.
We checked the Windsor Heights water facts on October 4, 2026. Plant numbers describe water leaving Des Moines Water Works; your own faucet test sets the softener. Sample dates appear with the test results.
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Kind Water Co is a d/b/a of Zero Cap Investments LLC · 600 SE 15th St, Des Moines, IA 50317
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