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IAMU will again be holding the hands-on Water Distribution & Leak Detection/Line Locating Workshops on May 24th & 25th, 2017. Sessions each day include: hydrant maintenance, water main tapping, pipe installation, fittings, confined space, leak detection & line locating.
CEUs: 6 hours for water distribution each day Click here for more information and to register.
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 This is the busy time of year for gas and electric regulatory reports. Here is the lineup of what’s due yet this week and over the next month or so.
Electric Utilities:
Gas Utilities:
Need Help with Your Reporting? We are working with the professionals at Consortia Consulting who can provide their expert services to assist you in completing your necessary reports. For more information on the regulatory reporting services, contact Krista Allen at Consortia. You may reach her at [email protected] or by phone at 402.441.1684. For more on regulatory reporting requirements and deadlines, check out the IAMU website, which includes calendars that show month-by-month the required state and federal reports due that month. The calendars show:
To link to the gas calendar, click here. To link to the electric calendar, click here.  IAMU will be hosting two Plastic Pipe Joining - Fusion & Mechanical - & Operator Qualification Workshops in May.
These workshops are designed for gas distribution system fusion technicians and distribution operators who work for municipal utilities or contractors. Annual fusion qualification is required by the Office of Pipeline Safety (49CFR Part 192.285) For more information, and to register, click one of the dates below: May 2nd & 3rd, 2017 May 3rd & 4th, 2017 The IAMU Mutual Aid Regional Meetings will provide attendees with information about the IAMU Mutual Aid program, the new Mutual Aid website, and allow utilty personnel to meet with participating program members from across the state. An informational session will be complemented with a Mutual Aid program update, roundtable discussion, and Q&A segment.
Utility personnel are free to attend any meeting location, not just one that is close to their region. Who Should Attend? Each utility’s primary Mutual Aid contact and/or any person(s) involved in Mutual Aid response in Electric, Gas, and Broadband utilities. Regional Meeting Dates and Locations Monday, May 22nd Cass County Community Center 805 West 10th Street, Atlantic, IA 50022 Hosted by: Atlantic Municipal Utilities Tuesday, May 23rd Spencer Municipal Utilities 520 2nd Avenue East, Suite 1, Spencer, IA 51301 Hosted by: Spencer Municipal Utilities Wednesday, May 24th Cedar Falls Utilities One Utility Parkway, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 Hosted by: Cedar Falls Utilities Thursday, May 25th Muscatine Power & Water 3205 Cedar Street, Muscatine, IA 52761 Hosted by: Muscatine Power & Water Friday, May 26th IAMU Training & Office Complex 1735 NE 70th Ave., Ankeny, IA 50021 Hosted by: IAMU  "In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated March 22 as World Water Day. World Water Day is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with governments and partners.” This year’s theme is wastewater. Website.
Drinking Water Received a D, Wastewater a D+ in 2017 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card
From US Water Alliance News Release, 3/9/2017 “Washington, DC - Today, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, with many segments and sectors of the nation's infrastructure received near-failing grades, including our drinking water and wastewater systems. This year's report card graded drinking water a D and wastewater a D+. The US Water Alliance released the following statement in response: Radhika Fox, CEO of the US Water Alliance, said: "Water is essential to everything we do. Every community in the country relies on drinking water and wastewater service, and many sectors of our economy are completely reliant on water as well. A D and D+ are daunting grades, but I am optimistic about our future because I see the innovative work of the members of the US Water Alliance every day." Fox continued: "I want to thank the ASCE for its steadfast work to shine a light on the incredibly important issue of infrastructure investment. It was a topic that was overlooked for far too long, but we believe is starting to get the attention it deserves. This report reinforces the fact that we need to make reinvesting in water a national priority." Read more about the ASCE report card. Note that Iowa’s report is dated 2015.  During last year’s OSHA 300 Log Recordkeeping workshops (29 CFR 1904 Recording and Reporting Occupational Illnesses and Injuries), IAMU discussed OSHA’s new electronic submission of records rule. This rule was scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2017. This new rule required employers in listed industries, or those with 250 or more employees, to electronically submit injury and illness data electronically to OSHA. The webpage for data entry was scheduled to be posted on OSHA’s website by February 1, 2017 and all of the data entered by July 1, 2017. This webpage was not posted and most likely never will be.
With the change of administration, it is anticipated that this rule will be revoked. On February 21, 2017, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce introduced H.J.RES.83 – Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Clarification of Employer's Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness". The legislation passed the House on March 1, 2017 and was received in the Senate on March 2, 2017. To follow the progress on this legislation, go to www.congress.gov and type the resolution number in the ‘search’ box. IAMU will continue to monitor the progress of this legislation to overturn the new recordkeeping requirements.  IAMU will be offering a Gas “Boot Camp” Operator Qualification Training Workshop at the end of October. The workshop will take place April 10-14, 2017 at the IAMU Training & Office Complex.
This workshop is geared towards: New operators, dispatchers, on-call personnel, and operators who would like to qualify or re-qualify on the covered tasks being presented. Hands-on and written evaluations will be offered. Participants may attend only Monday or all week. This training is also very valuable for dispatch personnel answering phone calls. Qualifications will be offered for all topics covered. For more information and to register, click here.  Do you need help completing the Consumer Confidence Report? If so, this workshop is for you! The goal of the workshop is for each participant to leave with an understanding, or refresher, of what the CCR is and why it needs to be completed.
The CCR workshops will be held on the dates/locations below:
Important! Please bring the following items to the workshop:
Hope to see you there! Don’t forget to thank gas utility workers for all that they do. This Saturday, March 18, is National Natural Gas Utility Workers' Day. March 18 is the date of the New London, Texas school explosion in 1937 that led to the widespread odorization of natural gas and an increased emphasis on gas safety. Safety is a vital aspect to natural gas distribution, and the employees of distribution companies endeavor to make natural gas delivery as safe as possible. Please honor the natural gas utility workers in your community and at your system by celebrating. Because March 18 is a Saturday this year, you may want to use Friday as the day of recognition.   Electric Utilities:
Gas Utilities:
Need Help with Your Reporting? We are working with the professionals at Consortia Consulting who can provide their expert services to assist you in completing your necessary reports. For more information on the regulatory reporting services, contact Krista Allen at Consortia. You may reach her at [email protected] or by phone at 402.441.1684. For more on regulatory reporting requirements and deadlines, check out the IAMU website, which includes calendars that show month-by-month the required state and federal reports due that month. The calendars show:
To link to the gas calendar, click here. To link to the electric calendar, click here.  This is a reminder that the EIA-861 Report is due to the EIA on April 28th. Should your utility need to complete the traditional form (not the short form), IAMU is assisting members with completing the Schedule 6 A & B of the EIA-861 report. Schedule 6 refers to your utility’s energy efficiency efforts and load management programs. Should you wish for IAMU to complete Schedule 6 for your utility, please complete the data request form and return no later than April 3rd to [email protected]. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Krista Allen at 402.441.1684.
NOTE: IAMU will be completing the Schedule 6 A & B of the EIA-861 only; your utility must complete the rest of the EIA-861. If your utility has a power contract with WAPA and would like IAMU to complete your MIR, please contact Krista to arrange for completion.  If you have municipal broadband service, are just thinking about it and wanting to learn more, or are involved in providing broadband-related services, you won’t want to miss the Sixth Annual IAMU Municipal Broadband Conference – filled with educational sessions and networking opportunities.
The two-day conference will be held next Wednesday, March 22 and Thursday, March 23 at the Holiday Inn & Suites Des Moines – Northwest. Registration closes Friday. To learn more or to register as an attendee or vendor, click here. Learn about the APPA Mutual Aid Playbook that IAMU helped to develop.
Mutual aid among utilities can make all the difference after a severe storm or natural disaster hits, and following a well-thought-out, comprehensive system that outlines when and how assistance happens is crucial. That’s why the American Public Power Association (APPA), with the help of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU), developed a Mutual Aid Playbook for utilities across the country to use during emergencies. Save the Date To learn more about mutual aid, plan to attend one of five regional mutual aid meetings around the state that IAMU will hold during the week of May 22. IAMU electric, gas, and broadband members will be invited to hear more about:
The locations and times for these regional meetings will be announced in the coming weeks. Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, in cooperation with Cedar Falls Utilities, is offering a one-day training workshop to aid municipal personnel in the unique challenges faced in performing electric utility billing. This is a base level course and is targeted for all new, or recently hired office staff, billing clerks, customer service representatives, those needing continued training, and a light refresher for experienced staff. A networking breakfast and a catered lunch will be provided.
The following topics will be covered allowing participants the opportunity to receive various sets of hands-on training.
Join instructors - Dan Llewellyn, Electric Services Coordinator with IAMU; Rex Van Wert, President of Van Wert, Inc.; Krista Allen, Consultant with Consortia Consulting; and Molly Cormaney, Training & Communications Specialist with CFU for this informative workshop. Click here for more information and to register. |
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