Article provided by Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU)

Working in full sunlight can increase heat index values by 15 degrees Fahrenheit. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have developed a Heat Safety Tool app that provides vital safety information right on your mobile phone.

The App allows workers and supervisors to calculate the heat index for their worksite and displays a risk level for outdoor workers based on the heat index. Then, with a simple “click,” you can get reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness. Reminders can be set about drinking enough fluids, scheduling rest breaks, planning for and knowing what to do in an emergency, adjusting work operations, gradually building up the workload on new workers, training on heat illness signs and symptoms, and monitoring each other for signs and symptoms of heat-related illness.

The App is available for both Android and iPhone. For more information about safety while working in the heat, see OSHA’s heat illness webpage.

Your Lead Service Line Inventory is due to the IDNR on October 16th, 2024. Do you need help starting or completing your service line inventory? The Iowa DNR is hosting a series of workshops around the state to assist small water systems where you can receive one on one assistance from DNR staff and our IAMU Technical Assistance provider. Attendees can be anyone involved in completing the inventory, including Operators, City Clerks, City Administrators, etc. The goal of the workshop is to have each participant leave with a draft or final copy of their system’s service line inventory. CEUs will be given for workshop attendance. Sessions 1 and 2 will present the same information, but you can attend both if necessary.
 
Workshops will be held on:
 
Workshop 1:
Tuesday, July 16th
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1-4PM
Lime Creek Nature Center, 3501 Lime Creek Rd. Mason City, IA 50401

Workshop 2:
Wednesday, July 17th
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1-4PM
Smith Lake County Conservation, 1010 250th St. Algona, IA 50511

Workshop 3: **Updated Location, Previously Spencer Location**
Monday, July 22nd
Session: 8AM-12PM
Milford Community Center (West Room), 806 N Ave, Milford, IA 51351

Workshop 4:
Tuesday July 23rd
Session: 8AM-12PM
Lake View City Council Chambers, 418 Blossom S St. Lake View, IA 51450

Workshop 5:
Wednesday July 24th
Session: 8AM-12PM
Zenith Plant in Sioux City, 1101 Tri View Ave. Sioux City, IA 51103

Workshop 6:
Monday, July 29th
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1PM-4PM
Ames Water Treatment Plant, 1800 E 13th St. Ames, IA 50010
 
Workshop 7:
Tuesday, July 30th
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1PM-4PM
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, 1 Sprint Capital Place, Knoxville, IA 50138

Workshop 8:
Wednesday, July 31st
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1-4PM
NICC Calmar Campus, 1625 Hwy 150 South, Calmar, IA 52132

Workshop 9:
Thursday, August 1st
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2= 1-4PM
Cascade City Hall, 320 1st Ave W, Cascade, IA 52033

Workshop 10:
Monday, August 5th 
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1-4PM
North Liberty Water Plant, 433 S Front St, North Liberty IA 52317

Workshop 11:
Tuesday, August 13th
Session: 9AM-12PM
Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 2606 W Burlington Ave, Fairfield, IA 52556

Workshop 12:
Wednesday, August 14th
Session: 10AM-1PM
Manning Library, 123 Main St. Manning, IA 51455

Workshop 13:
Thursday, August 15th
Session: 10AM-1PM
Red Oak Library, 400 N 2nd St. Red Oak, IA 51566
 
To register for a workshop, please click the link HERE or go to IAMU’s website. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a list of what to bring.
 
Please contact Preston Kizer at [email protected] or (515) 289-5203 if you have any questions. Even if you aren’t able to attend a workshop but have questions, please contact us and we can assist you.
 
Contact Information and Resources
Technical Assistance: [email protected] or call (515) 289-5203
 
Financial Information: [email protected] or call (515) 289-5212
 
Iowa DNR information and resources, including our newly updated FAQ:
https://www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Water-Quality/Drinking-Water-Compliance/Lead-Service-Line-Inventories
 
For other questions: [email protected]

July 9 - 11, 2024

This course will once again be presented by Skip Collier of Professional Training Systems, Inc. Skip is highly regarded and has an extensive background in electric utility design, construction, maintenance and operation.

The EUSO Short Course is designed for any employee whose job performance will benefit from a basic understanding of the operations side of the business. This includes those from legal, rates, engineering, purchasing, computer application, marketing, customer service, inventory control, finance, accounting, safety, risk analysis as well as those from generating plants.  One goal for this class is to have students leave with the ability to easily identify all of the electrical equipment they see in a substation as they walk by, along with all the equipment found on the poles in a residential area.  Non-electrical engineers are often at a disadvantage in the electric utility environment due to a lack of familiarity with technical issues.  The better you understand the utility’s product – electrical energy – and how it is created and distributed, the better you can serve the utility and your customers.  This course assumes no electrical background, and builds on the basics to provide a comprehensive understanding of the equipment and operations.

*** Line Maintainer apprentices will receive 21 Basic OJT hours for taking the EUSO Course ***
For additional information in regards to the workshop, including full agenda and registration, please click HERE.

Questions?
Contact Jared Masker at (800) 810-4268 or [email protected]

After 38 years as the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB), the state agency is welcoming a name change today and is now the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC). In conjunction with the agency name change, Board members will now be known as Commissioners.

Additional changes to legal, physical, digital, and agency branding will be phased in over the next few months. The IUC website — now iuc.iowa.gov — also has been updated. Staff and business email addresses are in the process of being updated.

The name change is the result of legislation in Senate File 2385 and follows state government reorganization in 2023 that removed the IUB from under the umbrella of the Department of Commerce. The law does not impact the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA), a division of the Iowa Department of Justice.

Visitors also will notice new signage outside and inside our building. While not all updates will occur today, the agency will continue to roll out physical and digital name changes including updates to the agency’s electronic filing system.

With the launch of the revised IUC website and new web address, users who have bookmarked previous pages may need to update frequently accessed pages.

For questions about the Iowa Utilities Commission, contact IUC Communications Director Don Tormey at [email protected]. For questions about utility service or filing comments in open dockets pending before the IUC, contact IUC Customer Service at 515-725-7300 or [email protected]. 

Your Lead Service Line Inventory is due to the IDNR on October 16th, 2024. Do you need help starting or completing your service line inventory? The Iowa DNR is hosting a series of workshops around the state to assist small water systems where you can receive one on one assistance from DNR staff and our IAMU Technical Assistance provider. Attendees can be anyone involved in completing the inventory, including Operators, City Clerks, City Administrators, etc. The goal of the workshop is to have each participant leave with a draft or final copy of their system’s service line inventory. CEUs will be given for workshop attendance. Sessions 1 and 2 will present the same information, but you can attend both if necessary.
 
Workshops will be held on:
 
Workshop 1:
Tuesday, July 16th
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1-4PM
Lime Creek Nature Center, 3501 Lime Creek Rd. Mason City, IA 50401

Workshop 2:
Wednesday, July 17th
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1-4PM
Smith Lake County Conservation, 1010 250th St. Algona, IA 50511

Workshop 3:
Monday, July 22nd
Session: 8AM-12PM
Spencer Municipal Utility (Suite #1), 520 2nd Ave E Spencer, IA 51301

Workshop 4:
Tuesday July 23rd
Session: 8AM-12PM
Lake View City Council Chambers, 418 Blossom S St. Lake View, IA 51450

Workshop 5:
Wednesday July 24th
Session: 8AM-12PM
Zenith Plant in Sioux City, 1101 Tri View Ave. Sioux City, IA 51103

Workshop 6:
Monday, July 29th
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1PM-4PM
Ames Water Treatment Plant, 1800 E 13th St. Ames, IA 50010

Workshop 7:
Tuesday, July 30th
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1PM-4PM
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, 1 Sprint Capital Place, Knoxville, IA 50138

Workshop 8:
Wednesday, July 31st
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1-4PM
NICC Calmar Campus, 1625 Hwy 150 South, Calmar, IA 52132

Workshop 9:
Thursday, August 1st
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2= 1-4PM
Cascade City Hall, 320 1st Ave W, Cascade, IA 52033

Workshop 10:
Monday, August 5th 
Session 1 = 9AM-12PM / Session 2 = 1-4PM
North Liberty Water Plant, 433 S Front St, North Liberty IA 52317

Workshop 11:
Tuesday, August 13th
Session:
Location TBD in FO6 region

Workshop 12:
Wednesday, August 14th
Session: 10AM-1PM
Manning Library, 123 Main St. Manning, IA 51455

Workshop 13:
Thursday, August 15th
Session: 10AM-1PM
Red Oak Library, 400 N 2nd St. Red Oak, IA 51566
 
To register for a workshop, please click the link HERE or go to IAMU’s website. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a list of what to bring.
 
Please contact Preston Kizer at [email protected] or (515) 289-5203 if you have any questions. Even if you aren’t able to attend a workshop but have questions, please contact us and we can assist you.
 
Contact Information and Resources
Technical Assistance: [email protected] or call (515) 289-5203
 
Financial Information: [email protected] or call (515) 289-5212
 
Iowa DNR information and resources, including our newly updated FAQ:
https://www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Water-Quality/Drinking-Water-Compliance/Lead-Service-Line-Inventories
 
For other questions: [email protected]