Near the top of Ames’ bragging rights list sits an unlikely point of pride — the exceptionally clean water.

The city will celebrate its water quality with the Ames Water Pollution Control Utility’s centennial on Saturday. The WPC, which purifies sewer water before releasing it back into streams and rivers, will display its slogan: “Flushing with Pride Since 1903.”

The purpose of the celebration is to show citizens the WPC, “since it’s one those sites that people don’t often to get a chance to see,” said Clare Bills, public relations officer for the City of Ames.

“Citizens are entitled to see it, since they technically own the facility.”

Shuttles will run between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. from City Hall, 515 Clarke Ave., and the WPC plant site every 15 minutes.

On the site, tours of the facility will be given and historic displays of the plant will be displayed.

Ames has seen much success in water quality during 2003. The year started off strong with Ames being nationally recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA named Ames a Clean Water Partner for the 21st century, a title given to towns that strive to improve water quality and watershed health. This recognition is given to only 75 cities nationwide.

When Ames was recognized by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for this award at the April 22 city council meeting, Mayor Ted Tedesco called Ames’ water “a legacy for future generations.”

“Clean water in our city is an example of one of the things we’ve done to make the city a better place for our children,” he said.

“That’s the responsibility of our lives.”

Ames hasn’t always had clean water, however. Only a few years ago the creeks that ran through Ames were notorious for their pollution levels and fowl odor.

College Creek, which flows through campus and ties into Squaw Creek, was filling up with ill-treated sewage from private sources, said Tom Neumann, director of the Ames water and pollution control department.

“A few restaurants and trailer parks west of Ames were improperly treating their sewage, causing [College] Creek to fowl up,” he said. “Since this flows through backyards and Campustown, we decided to bring in state agencies and health departments to investigate these places.”

Neumann said the cleanup of College Creek was the first reason Ames was recognized for its superior water.

The second reason was the city’s transformation of Hallett’s Quarry into a wildlife preserve. The city acquired the abandoned quarry with the intent of preserving the billion gallons of water in the quarry, which acts as Ames’ secondary water source during drought conditions.

“To ensure the water’s quality, wetlands will be constructed and prairie grasses will be planted to filter the water,” Neumann said.

“The extensive root systems of prairie plants provide soil stabilization and allow rainwater to soak into the soil, protecting against water pollution and soil erosion.”