Looking for ways to reach your municipal utility customers? The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) has a few marketing opportunities that we want to let you know about.

• Our Buyer’s Guide is a bi-annual electronic booklet that allows you to highlight your company and its products and services. You have an entire page to do with what you wish -- photos, contact information, sales copy, whatever you can dream up (within reason).

• Our 70th Anniversary Commemorative Magazine advertising allows you to have extended ad exposure compared to typical magazine advertising. Readers are much more likely to keep this special publication than a reoccurring magazine. This is a limited first-come, first-served opportunity.

• Our Golfin’ Fore Safety event is your chance to make our safety fundraiser even more fun for participants by sponsoring various aspects of the day. Bonus: You can come golf, too, as part of most sponsorship levels.

• Our Equipment Demo & Exhibit Day is a great way to show potential customers what you can provide by demo-ing or exhibiting your products or services in a real-life setting. You’ll also be able to invite your other clients (beyond the IAMU members whom we will invite) to come out and check out what you do. This is a free event to participate, but we need you to sign up. We’re also looking for event sponsors.

If you have any questions about these opportunities, please feel free to contact Jen Cronin at 515-289-1999 or [email protected].

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities’ Safety Services will be holding a Drug & Alcohol Employee/Supervisor Training webinar. This webinar will address the following:

• The effects of drugs and alcohol on the body
•  How to know if someone is on drugs
•  Suggestions for what an individual can do about it

60 minutes will be spent on symptoms of alcohol abuse;
60 minutes will be spent on symptoms of drug/controlled substance abuse

*Certificate of Completion will be emailed to registrants after the event*
 
Who Should Attend?
Employees and supervisors involved with CDLs and gas operations
 
Presenter:
Paul Kittelson, IAMU Safety Services
 
Webinar Time and Length:
Thursday, May 25, 2017 - 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
 
Cost:
$40 per IAMU Member participant; $65 per Non-IAMU Member participant
 
Webinar instructions and information will be sent to the registrant’s email.
 
For online registration and additional information, please click here.

Help support future water and wastewater professionals by planning to sponsor and/or attend the Shrimp & Bingo Fundraiser. This year, the event will be held on Aug. 26, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the FFA Enrichment Center on the Des Moines Area Community College’s Ankeny Campus. The evening will feature great food, prizes, and live music.

Sponsorship opportunities and tickets are available. For more information, contact Dennis Hayworth at 515-256-4925 or by email at [email protected].

To learn more about the Water Environmental Technology Program, visit: http://www.waterandwastewateroperatortraining.com

Provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Iowa DNR - Water Supply now has the responsibility for receiving the well records and pumping test records for all public water supply wells and all wells covered by a water use permit.  With this change, we hope to improve the number of new well records the state receives, save staff time and effort, and ensure full completion of these important records, including accurate well location, construction, lithology, and water levels. 

The change in where records are sent only affects wells drilled or modified within the DNR public water supply and water use programs, which are roughly 80-100 new wells per year.  There are no changes to private, geothermal, and monitoring well record submittals.  Additionally, all drill chips for the public water supply and water use program wells should still be sent to, or picked up by, the Iowa Geological Survey - IIHR.  This change in address is reflected in the updated well record forms available through both IGS and IDNR websites.

All well records received by IDNR will still be posted and available online via GeoSam.
Well logs and pump tests can be submitted to the state via the following methods:

• Private, geothermal, and monitoring well record forms can be submitted electronically through the Private Well Tracking System (PWTS) database, through a paper copy submitted to the respective county sanitarian, or to the Iowa Geological Survey at 100 Oakdale IGS, Iowa City, IA 52242.

• Public water supply and Water use well record forms and pump test information can be submitted through paper copy to: IDNR WS-Well Records, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, IA 50319; or emailed to: [email protected]. 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Chad Fields at [email protected].

IAMU is celebrating our 70th Anniversary this year. We want to put together a video and magazine on IAMU’s history and are looking for sources who would be willing to share what they know about IAMU’s history – whether from their own personal experiences or from what they’ve been told by former IAMU members who may no longer be with us. If your time with IAMU goes back 10, 20, 30 years or more, we’d loved to chat with you. If you know of someone who is retired who might be good for us to contact, let us know that, too.

Please contact Jen Cronin at [email protected] or at 515-289-1999 if you would be willing to help us out by sharing what you know.

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities in conjunction with Wichita State Environmental Finance Center (EFC), encourages representatives from your utility to attend an upcoming rate setting and financial planning workshop.

The session provides participants with an understanding on major considerations when setting rates, rate structure options and pricing objectives, financial planning considerations, and strategies for communicating rate information to your board and community. The training will provide classroom instruction as well as interactive participant exercises and discussion.

This training would be beneficial for Financial/Accounting Staff, Finance Directors, Utility Directors, City Managers, City Clerks, Board/City Council Members, Customer Service Managers, Operators, Engineering Staff and other utility employees/stakeholders.

*5 CEU hours available for Water Treatment, Distribution, or Wastewater.

For more information, and to register, click here.

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities in conjunction with Wichita State Environmental Finance Center (EFC), encourages representatives from your utility to attend an upcoming capital improvement planning workshop. The session provides participants with an understanding of what to include in a Capital Improvement Plan, who should be involved and why it’s important to implement a plan, strategies for replacing existing equipment, infrastructure, and planning to meet existing or new regulatory requirements.  The training will provide classroom instruction as well as interactive participant exercises and discussion.

This training would be beneficial for Financial/Accounting Staff, Finance Directors, Utility Directors, City Managers, City Clerks, Board/City Council Members, Customer Service Managers, Operators, Engineering Staff and other utility employees/stakeholders.

*5 CEU hours available for Water Treatment, Distribution, or Wastewater.

For more information, and to register, click here.

Mark your calendars for this year’s IAMU Overhead Electric Transmission and Distribution Workshop.  This year’s workshop will take place May 17 – 19, 2017 at the IAMU Training and Office Complex. 

This classroom topics and hands-on activities include:

• Connections
• AMPACT
• Rigging
• Hot Pole Transfer
• Storm Restoration
  
• Line Inspections
• Preformed Trailer
• Capacitor Banks and Regulators
• Near Misses
• And much more…

Pre-workshop activities including apprentice evaluations and beginning pole climbing will occur the day before the actual workshop on Tuesday, May 16.  Apprenticeship testing and skill evaluations will be available.  Please note that the number of apprentices is limited to the first 8 that sign up.  Pre-registration is required for apprenticeship testing and evaluations.  Testing and evaluations will be available May 16 and the morning of May 17 ONLY. (For questions about testing, please contact Dan Llewellyn – [email protected], or Meredith Hibbs – [email protected].)

The registration deadline for this workshop is Friday, May 12.  You may mail, or fax the registration form in.  Registration is also available online.

For additional information regarding the workshop, including registration, agenda, and schedule, please refer to the brochure HERE.

IAMU is planning to hold its second Equipment Demo & Exhibit Day on Thursday, July 20, on our Training Field. Demo Day is a time for IAMU members to connect with vendors who can demonstrate or showcase their equipment, tools, processes, and materials in a real-life setting.

To learn more about the event from IAMU’s very own “Red Green,” click here.
 
The event is free for utility members and associate members. If you’re not a member, contact us to find out how you might be able to participate. For more information or to register for the event, 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:

• April 18: Alta
  Community Building, 27 N. Lake St. (N. of Hwy. 7, W. of Buena Vista Raceway)
  
  
• April 19: Mason City
  Lime Creek Nature Center, 3501 Lime Creek Rd. (N. edge of Mason City off Hwy. 65)
  
  
• April 20: Ankeny
  IAMU Training & Office Complex, 1735 NE 70th Avenue
  
  
• April 21: Atlantic
  Elks Lodge, 501 Poplar, 3rd Floor
  
  
• April 25: Independence
  Falcon Civic Center, 1305 5th Avenue NE
  
  
• April 26: North Liberty
  North Liberty Community Center, 520 W. Cherry St. (Exit 4 from I-380, right onto  250th St./W. Penn St., right onto IA-965, left onto W. Cherry)

Important! Please bring the following items to the workshop:

• IDNR Draft CCR mailed in March 2017
• All your 2016 MOR’s containing your MRDL information in addition to your December 2015 MOR
• If you operate a surface water system: You must bring your turbidity
  information. Highest single measurement and the lowest monthly
  percentage of samples meeting turbidity limits from 2016 calendar year
  
• If you add Fluoride, bring the highest and lowest lab results from 2016
• Jump (flash) drive for ease of saving

Hope to see you there!

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 or 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