A small creature is a big cause of concern in one of Iowa's most popular tourist destinations, and an IAMU member has embarked on a project to minimize its impact on their water utility.

Milford Municipal Utilities (MMU) uses West Lake Okoboji as it's raw water source.  The detection of zebra mussels in the lake last year has led MMU to embark on a project to install a back-up feed line and copper screens to keep the mollusks from impacting the water supply.  CLICK HERE to read a story at ExploreOkoboji.com.  

For a detailed analysis on the possible impact of zebra mussels on the Iowa Great Lakes ecosystem, CLICK HERE for an article by the Iowa Great Lakes Association.

News Release from Waverly Utilities

For more than a century, Waverly Light and Power has been providing electricity to area homes and businesses. A lot has changed during this time, and Waverly Light and Power has been on the forefront of that change every step of the way, giving the citizens of Waverly accessible, affordable and responsible energy options. Investments in wind, hydro and solar energy generation reflect their commitment to renewable, alternative energy sources.

APPA offers a database of public power “Utility Energy Efficiency, Demand Response & Renewables Projects,” on the Energy Efficiency Resource Central section of their web site.  

The database has recently been updated and includes over 300 energy efficiency, renewable resource and demand response programs offered by public power utilities.  It can be searched by topic, type of program, state and size of utility and can be used to see what programs other utilities are offering, learn more about their programs and identify new programs that may be successful at your utility.

By increasing the number of programs included in the database, all users benefit.  Therefore, we encourage you to enter your programs directly into the database.  You can just click on the link to submit your own programs, or you can send a description of your program to me directly at uschryver@publicpower.org. 

If you have any questions about the database, or the EERC web site in general, please contact me at uschryver@publicpower.org or 202/467-2980.

IAMU still has seats available for next weeks Advanced Water Treatment & Advanced Water Distribution workshops being held on March 4 & 5.  This will be the last IAMU workshop offering non-safety CEUs before the renewal deadline of March 31, 2015.

We have a great line up of speakers and will also have a small vendor show. You can view the full agenda and register on-line here.

Early registration ends this Friday, February 27, be sure to reserve your spot today! 

In celebration of the 2015 Sunshine Week, the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB) has scheduled an open house at the IPIB office in the Wallace Building, third floor, on the Capitol Grounds from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2015.  Included in the open house is the opportunity to meet IPIB members and staff.

The Department of Energy has an open funding opportunity for the deployment of smart grid technology in local governments that have been located in a county that has experienced a Presidentially Declared Major Disaster between 1984-2014.  The DOE anticipates making awards up to 1 million dollars.  50% cost share is required.  The funding opportunity closes on March 4.

The Iowa Utilities Board won’t hold a separate hearing to consider eminent domain issues tied to an energy company’s plans for a 500-mile, $2 billion power line carrying wind energy from northwest Iowa to Illinois.  CLICK HERE to read the complete story from the Cedar Rapids Gazette.