Moline city leaders are focusing their attention to the south, hoping to add water service and hundreds of homes in the coming years.
City leaders are looking to extend utilities, such as water infrastructure, south of the Rock River. Moline has already purchased three farms, which sit on the bluff behind the Quad City International Airport. The farms total about 300 acres.
City leaders believe that once water service is in place, the farms could be the site of 400 to 500 new homes.
"It's flat on the Iowa side, and on the Illinois side, we have all these ravines and hills and valleys, and the two rivers. So, we're literally landlocked east and west, so we can only grow south, and you have to go up the bluff," said Ray Forsythe, the city's planning and development director.
Forsythe said high-efficiency appliances, like toilets and washers, are causing people to use less water. Since the city has excess capacity, leaders are now looking at new markets for the water.
In addition to building out utilities, the city is also looking to possibly sell some of its excess water to nearby communities like Coal Valley, Silvis and Milan.
Moline is also looking to possibly partner with Rock Island in providing water and sewer service to the Arsenal.