Aaron Coret and Mike Miller, lineman for the Denison Municipal Utilities were recognized at the municipal electric utility's regular monthly Board of Trustees Monday afternoon.

The certificates of appreciation read "Denison Municipal Utilities is extremely proud of the power restoration service that was provided to Moore Haven, Florida following the destruction of Hurricane Irma in September, 2017."

Thank you guys for representing DMU and the community of Denison, Iowa!

Please welcome our newest Associate Member - Industrial Pump & Seal Inc.

At Industrial Seal & Pump Inc., we are technical troubleshooters specializing in problem solving fluid process systems.  We provide proven highly reliable engineered sealing products, including Advanced Sealing Technology (AST) mechanical seals for pumps and rotating equipment, unique polymer alloy and engineered thermoplastic Thordon bearings, Seal-Ryt high performance mechanical packing (FDA approved), Thermoseal gasket sheets, bearing seals, and hydraulic seals.  We provide expert technical service support for our products including failure analysis of mechanical seals and pumps, process troubleshooting, mechanical seal repair, machine shop services, and customized design and fabrication of mechanical seals and Thordon sleeve bearing solutions.

For more information contact:

John Dockery-Jackson
(309) 738-2503
JohnDJ@IndustrialSealandPump.com
www.IndustrialSealandPump.com

Dates: November 14 – 16, 2017
Location: Holiday Inn Northwest, Des Moines

Registration is Now Open. Click Here to Register.

This yearly training is a must for any water and wastewater professionals wanting practical information to help them do their jobs. The three-day workshop includes basic and advanced topics on water treatment, water distribution, and wastewater. Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CEUs toward certification, plus get a chance to connect with other municipal water professionals from around the state as well as check out products and services from water-related vendors.

An Added, Pre-Workshop Bonus:
Water Audit Seminar, presented by Steve Cavanaugh of Cavanaugh Solutions
Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. until noon
Space is limited to 50. Those who attend the seminar can earn 0.3 CEUs for WT/WD.
There is an additional cost of $50 to attend this pre-workshop seminar.

by Laurie Sharp, Iowa DNR’s Drinking Water & Wastewater Treatment Operator Certification Program, Laurie.sharp@dnr.iowa.gov.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is moving both the Operator Certification Program staff and the testing area from the second floor to the fifth floor of the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines. Due to this move, Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment exams will not be available at the Wallace Building from November 13, 2017 through January 2, 2018. Exams will still be offered at five Regional Field Offices during this time by appointment (Manchester, Mason City, Spencer, Atlantic, and Washington). Please call us at 515-725-0463 with any issues this may cause and we will be happy to work with you on a solution.  We thank you for your patience during this time of transition. 
  
Other DNR Environmental Services Division Staff are also moving.  The Water Supply Sections will be moving in the Wallace Building from the current space on the second floor, to the east side of the fifth floor.  The move will happen in stages, as the offices become available, so that staff will be able to cover the necessary work functions during the move.  The move will start in a week or so, and should be completed by Thanksgiving.  

The Air Quality Bureau will be moving from their offices in the Ingram Building in Windsor Heights to the Wallace Building, second floor, with the anticipated timeline of the end of December for the relocation to be completed.  

Field Office 5 will remain at the current Ingram Building location in Windsor Heights.  

The Environmental Protection Commission meetings will likely continue to be held in the Roosevelt Room at the Ingram Building on occasion.

MSA Powered Air-Purifying Respirator Cartridge customers should be aware of a potential safety issue regarding OptimAir® TL OV/AG Cartridges (Part Numbers 10080454 for cartridge 6-pack, 10143422 for individual cartridge). Although low in frequency of occurrence in field use and during in-house testing, MSA has become aware of a situation with the spin weld joint between the particulate filter housing and the carbon bed housing of the cartridge. In these cases, the cartridge will continue to provide gas filtration, but may not meet the P100 requirements for particulate and mist filtration. For more information on this issue, click here.

Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) Associate Members understand the unique product, equipment and service needs of municipal utilities. Check out in more detail what some of our Associate Members have to offer in the 2017 Buyer’s Guide, available in the Resources section of the IAMU website. Feel free to download it, share with others at your utility and print it to have handy when needs arise.

“Imagine a Day Without Water” is Thursday, Oct. 12. The observance is intended to bring awareness to just how essential water is to everyone and why we should invest in its infrastructure. Earlier this year, voters were polled on what they wanted the federal government to focus on for a legislative agenda. By a double-digit margin, investment in infrastructure was the most important topic above any other issue. Two thirds of voters said so. And an astonishing 82 percent of Americans said water infrastructure needed to be a top priority.

“Imagine a Day Without Water” organizers have ready-to-use resources and ideas to help in the observation. Go to http://imagineadaywithoutwater.org to pledge your support of the efforts and to access the resources.

Many people do not believe that oily rags can ignite all by themselves without the presence of an ignition source, such as a spark or lighted match. However, oily rags stored in a waste can or thrown in a pile on the floor can ignite even without any help from a separate ignition source. This is known as spontaneous combustion.

Spontaneous combustion occurs when a combustible material, including liquid, is heated to its ignition temperature by a chemical reaction involving the oxygen in the air around the material. This heating process is known as self-heating. In the case of oily rags, it’s a simple process of oil oxidizing to generate heat, which will continue to build up until combustion occurs. Generally, this can happen when the materials are left in piles, which provide a source of insulation, trapping the heat that is generated.

The possibility of spontaneous combustion increases when the surrounding air is also warm and dry. Also, heat radiating from nearby sources, such as machinery or a non-insulated steam line, can accelerate the process by heating both the materials and the surrounding air.

It is simple to prevent spontaneous combustion of oily rags. They should always be stored in a metal safety can with a self-closing lid manufactured specifically to hold oily rags. OSHA requires that this can be emptied every day. This smaller can may be emptied into a larger metal container (55- or 60-gallon barrel) as long as the lid is sealed and is located in an outbuilding, detached garage, or shed outdoors.

The largest high-rise fire in modern U.S. history started as a result of the spontaneous combustion of oil-soaked rags left in a pile by contractors working in the building. The fire occurred in Philadelphia on February 23, 1991, on the 22nd floor of the 38-story Meridian Bank Building. The fire started in a vacant 22nd floor office in a pile of linseed oil-soaked rags left by a contractor and resulted in the death of three firefighters and injuries to 24 other firefighters. The 12 alarms brought 51 engine companies, 15 ladder companies, 11 specialized units, and more than 300 firefighters to the scene.