Water and wastewater members: Mark your calendars and plan to attend the annual Water and Wastewater Operator’s Training Workshop, which will be held Nov. 17 – 19.
 
Please note that the venue has changed this year. The workshop will take place at Prairie Meadows – The Meadows Events Center in Altoona.
 
This three-day workshop is geared toward water and wastewater professionals wanting practical information to help them do their jobs. There will be both basic and advanced topic for water treatment, water distribution, and wastewater. Attendees can earn 1.2 CEUs toward certification.
 
For more information or to register as an attendee or vendor, visit the event webpage on the IAMU website.
 
***Note - The early registration deadline is Nov. 3.***

Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) recently received notification that it has earned rare dual certification for implementing energy management systems that reduce CO2 and save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. DMWW is the only drinking water utility in the nation to be certified for nationally and internationally recognized energy management standards for all of its treatment plants.

Previously, only the Fleur Drive water treatment plant was ISO 50001 certified (in 2017). Now, all three Des Moines Water Works treatment plants are both ISO 50001 and SEP 50001 Gold standards, per a review and audit that by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Superior Performance (SEP) group.

SEP is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Based on the DOE’s calculations, DMWW has reduced total CO2 emissions by 25,952 metric tons in the four years since it implemented the prescribed energy management measures. From a financial perspective, DMWW has saved $830,387 during the same period while improving its energy performance by 10.18 percent. This has allowed the utility to reduce its usage of all types of energy: electric, natural gas, LP, gasoline and diesel.

The ISO 50001 recognition is an international standard created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Its standards are reviewed by international experts in their subject matter and specify requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an energy management system to continually improve energy performance in the areas of efficiency, security, use and consumption.

“This certification aligns perfectly with our mission and our values related to leadership, stewardship and employee experience,” CEO and General Manager Ted Corrigan said. “Managing our energy use is one of the many responsibilities we have to our customers, along with leading and advocating for the stewardship of our natural resources. ISO 50001 certification shows we are doing it at the highest level.”

Some of the utility’s efforts to conserve energy include:

• Conversion of all indoor and outdoor lighting to LED lights at all DMWW facilities
• Installation of variable speed drives on high service pumps, backwash pumps and nitrate pumps
• Replacement of end-of-life equipment with high efficiency equipment
• Addition of insulation on water and steam pipes and in buildings
• Switch to automatic overhead doors and insulated doors in some buildings
• Development of idling guidelines for utility vehicles

An independent third party audits each facility to verify achievements and qualify it for recognition at the SEP Silver, Gold or Platinum level, based on performance. DMWW has now earned the Gold designation and shares this distinction with such organizations as 3M, Nissan and AstraZeneca.

DMWW has entered the 2021 Energy Management Leadership awards contest. This is an international competition that recognizes leading organizations for sharing high-quality, replicable descriptions of their ISO 50001 implementation and certification process. Winners will be announced in October.

(168) ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard (HD) - YouTube
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Recognized Sites | Better Buildings Initiative (energy.gov)

Employees from the city of Lake Mills hosted their local 5th graders on a field trip on Friday October 22, 2021. Each year when the 5th graders learn about the water cycle, they are treated to an in-person, up-close view of how water actually works in their community.

Ross Hanson, Justin Kester and Doug Bacon showed the kids the Lake Mills water plant, the sewer lagoons, and the water tower and explained how the local water system works and how it fits in to what they are learning in class about precipitation, evaporation, and the underground water table. Ross had a special teaching opportunity this year as his daughter was one of the 5th graders who visited!
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Thank you to the city of Lake Mills and the employees who use their time and talent to educate the community on what they do and why it is important.

On October 21, 2021 IAMU staff members attended the Iowa Women in Safety Conference in Cedar Rapids.  The day was filled with training, motivation, and information geared specifically toward women safety professionals. IAMU is proud of our women in safety staff members that help our members each day, Jackie Roberts – SGWC Regional Safety Coordinator, Edith Hodgell – SGNC Regional Safety Coordinator, Margret Meade – Safety Outreach Coordinator, Sandy Jordan – SGEI Regional Safety Coordinator, and unable to attend since she was helping her members Amanda Hickman – NWISG Regional Safety Coordinator. 
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One of our own safety professionals, Margret Meade was selected for this year’s 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award, congratulations Margret.   Her expertise, knowledge, and mentorship has helped so many go home health at the end of the day

There is no shortage of websites where you can find information and tips on utilities that you can share with your customers. However, before you share the information or tips, be sure they are credible. Not all content on the web is (shocker).
How do you know whether information and tips are credible? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Stick to websites from the government (.gov), educational institutions (.edu), and non-profit institutions and professional organizations (typically .org). Note that .org doesn’t necessarily mean the website is credible. Be sure to use ones such as the APPA, APGA, AWWA, and IAMU. If using a .org that you’re not familiar with, find out whether the site is a non-profit or for-profit. Ask yourself questions such as: What is the purpose of the information? Is it for public good or to push a product or service? Who pays for the site or document where the information is included?
  
• Check for whether the information is current. Look for dates on web pages or documents to see when the content was published or at least last reviewed.
  
• Give credit to sources. When you share information, include where you got it. Not only do you provide acknowledgement to that organization, you add credibility to the information. 
  

There will be an APPA webinar on Advanced Metering Infrastructure on November 18th, 2021, from 1PM-2PM CST. This webinar will feature John Bilsten from Algona Municipal Utilities and will cover Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Insights.
 
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) can get you a lot of great data, but what's the best way for small utilities to use it to make conclusions about their customers' behavior and rate classes? 

Since 2016, Algona Municipal Utilities and Iowa State University’s Electric Power Research Center have collaborated to create a tool which summarizes very large AMI data sets into smaller, organized files with summary results, exporting analyses as tables and graphs. The latest version of the tool, which incorporates machine-learning and clustering techniques into its design, doesn’t just help define customer rate classes. The tool can set minimum demand definitions and identify customers whose usage may differ from their assigned rate class, offering utilities the opportunity to reassign or even redesign rate classes as needed. It puts power back in the hands of public power utilities by allowing them to check the accuracy of AMI analysis provided by billing and meter data management contractors. 

During this webinar, researchers from ISU will share their work making in-house AMI analysis easier than ever through their ongoing partnership with Algona Municipal Utilities and the DEED Program. DEED members can check out this project's DEED Project Library page for more information on the tool.
 
Recommended For
Any public power system which gathers AMI or SCADA data.
 
Rates

• DEED members: Free
• APPA members: $109
• Non-members: $209

Speakers include John Bilsten, Anne Kimber, Shahnawaz Siddiqui, and Nichelle’Le Carrington
 
Join this webinar November 18, 2021, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST.

Click here to register​

Join us in Des Moines for two days of conversation on how best to protect Iowa workers. Network with colleagues, make new contacts, and continue your growth as an OESH professional.

November 1-2, 2021
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Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel

Participant Registration
$295 Registration
Click here to register.

Vendor Space is Available
When was the last time hundreds prospective customers poured through your doors at once? As a vendor at the 50th Annual Iowa Governor’s Health & Safety Conference, your business will have the opportunity to network with hundreds of safety professionals from across the state of Iowa.

$500 Registration

Exhibitor space is limited.
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Register online today!

​Tim Whipple has returned to IAMU as our General Counsel. He joins Alex Cutchey, Director of Government Affairs, to provide IAMU with high-caliber, comprehensive legal services.
 
Tim will oversee federal issues and regulatory issues, while Alex will focus on legislative issues. Both will work with the Iowa Utilities Board, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and Iowa Public Information Board, as well as the Governor’s Office, Ombudsman’s Office, and Auditor’s Office. Members may contact either of the attorneys with legal questions or concerns, and the two will determine who will handle the matter.
 
Tim previously worked for IAMU for almost five years. Prior to starting at IAMU he held legal positions as a Legal Counsel with Iowa Legislative Services Agency, and General Counsel with Iowa Economic Development Authority. Tim returns to IAMU after most recently serving as General Counsel for MidAmerican Energy Company. He attended the Drake University Law School.
 
Alex joined IAMU in November 2020 as Director of Government Affairs. Prior to IAMU, he served as attorney and lobbyist for the Iowa Utilities Board. He also was previously a Federal Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Celeste F. Bremer, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa, and clerked for law firms in both Iowa and Minnesota. Alex attended the Drake University Law School and has an MBA from Drake University College of Business & Public Administration.

​The Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities began 125 years ago when in 1896, the electric utility was created. To honor this milestone and to celebrate Public Power Week, the utility hosted a community celebration on Oct. 6.
 
The free event, held at the Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities office, drew around 500 people.
 
The community was treated to a meal, door prizes, electric vehicle demonstrations where they could ride and drive the vehicles, guided tours of facilities, and inflatables for the kids.
 
“As a locally owned municipal company, Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities prides itself in offering customers the best value for their dollars. Our customers are our owners. And in this case, we invited them to be our guests, too, as we celebrated 125 years,” said Jim Hoye, Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities General Manager.
 
In addition, the utility has gifts for each residential customer, limited to one per household. Customer can claim their gift during the month of October.

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities will be holding mobile crane certification and examination classes for digger derrick, service truck, and mobile crane operators.  OSHA’s updated crane standard REQUIRES that operators of lifting equipment be trained, evaluated and tested in order to obtain certification.

Background Information:
Although the new standard, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC, specifically exempts the digger derrick and the operator from meeting the requirements of the standard, the exemption applies only when it is used for work within the provisions of the power generation, transmission and distribution standards, or for construction work within the telecommunications standard.  The exemption does not apply if the digger derrick is used for lifting materials or to operate in working environments outside the scope of the standard because the equipment is essentially being used as a mobile crane.  For example, unloading materials from a truck, lifting a motor from a pump house to assist your water department, or providing assistance to any other city department will mean that the exemption no longer applies.  When equipment is used as a mobile crane, all provisions of the standard apply, including the operator certification rule.  OSHA also now requires that an operator be certified in specific areas when they operate equipment outfitted with a boom and winch and able to lift at least 2,000 pounds.  This includes service trucks in your public works, or water departments.

The new standard has very specific operator requirements, one being to obtain operator certification from an independent testing organization accredited by a nationally recognized organization.  OSHA’s updated crane standard, 1926.1427 in Subpart CC, requires that for a testing organization to be considered accredited to certify operators, it must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency based on that agency’s determination that industry recognized criteria for written testing materials, practical examinations, test administration, grading, facilities/equipment and personnel have been met.  IAMU is an Accredited Assessment Center through the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER).  We are authorized to conduct both hands-on assessments and practical examinations which are part of our Mobile Crane Operator Certification Program.  Additionally, we are offering Qualified Hand Signal Person and Qualified Rigger programs (available at a future date).

Who Should Attend:
Digger derrick and service truck crane operators who do not currently hold a mobile crane operator’s certification.

What Do These Classes and Certification Consist Of:
Classes will be a week long, requiring classroom instruction, an on-line exam that has a 80% pass requirement, a practical exam for certification of mobile crane, and then finally a short class and practical exam for the signalperson and rigging qualifications. Students who pass the written and practical exams receive nationally recognized certification from the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER).

Where Do These Classes Take Place:
IAMU Training and Office Complex
1735 NE 70th Avenue
Ankeny, IA  50021

When Will Classes Be Held:
Dates have been scheduled for the remainder of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 at the IAMU complex.  Please click HERE or visit the IAMU website for available dates.

November 8th - 12th
December 6th - 10th
January 24th - 28th
February 21st - 25th

Mobile Crane Operator Certification/Examination Class Schedule:
 
Monday
9:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Classroom

Tuesday
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Classroom

Wednesday
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Classroom/Exams

Thursday
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Practical Exams

Friday (if needed)
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Retake Exams
Class/Exam
Examination retakes are $100 and may be taken during any scheduled exam date.

Additional Notes:

• There is a maximum of 8 participants per class session.
• Lunch will be provided Monday through Thursday.
• All participants will attend classroom days. Exams will take place on the Thursday of each class session. Depending on the number of participants, Wednesday evening and Friday may also be used for exams.
• Each participant will need to create an account with NCCER before class; step-by-step instructions are included with the study guide.  Please bring your account number with you to class.

For additional information about the classes and online registration for each event, click HERE .
Questions?
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If you have any questions in regards to the classes, or requirements, please contact:
Margret Meade, IAMU Safety Outreach Coordinator (mmeade@iamu.org )
Phone:  (800) 810-4268