IAMU Informer - Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities

The American Public Power Association (APPA) has created and published a map based tracker for Public Power Energy Storage projects. Click this link to view the new tool.

APPA compiled the initial data for this tracker from the websites of its 200 largest members, form EIA-860 for 2018, form EIA-860M for October 2019, the Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Developments (DEED) Project Library, and Public Power Current articles. New projects featured in the Current are added to this tracker on a monthly basis. APPA welcomes member submissions. If your organization is not listed and has a project to share, you have additional or updated information, or if you have any questions, please contact Policy@PublicPower.org. The Public Power Statistical Report and America’s Electricity Generating Capacity Report offer additional energy storage insights.

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SAVE THE DATE: 2025 IAMU Safety Group Risk Management Workshop

8/20/2025

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IAMU Safety Group Program Members,

The annual IAMU Safety Group Risk Management Workshop, presented by Jester Insurance Services, will be held on the morning of October 29th at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankney. Please share this with additional city/utility staff as needed. A formal registration will follow later this month. Details related to the workshop topics and guest speakers will be provided at that time. We hope to see you all this fall!

Since 1980, the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU), Jester Insurance Services, Inc., and EMC Insurance Companies have joined together to bring Iowa municipalities and utilities a comprehensive and competitive insurance program. Expansions and improvements to the program are continuously made to meet the changing needs of Iowa's municipalities and utilities.

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

FFA Enrichment Center
1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy
Ankeny, IA 50023
9 a.m.–12 p.m.

Please notify the appropriate personnel in your office and share the date and location with your municipality contact(s).
This workshop will be available via livestream and will be recorded for on-demand viewing.

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NEW Safety Workshops and One Closing Soon!

8/20/2025

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Certified Mobile Crane Operator – Telescoping Boom August 25th – August 29th, 2025
*Registration closes TOMORROW 8/21/25!

Crane operators will know and implement the rules and regulations set forth by ASME B30.5 and will safely apply those standards in daily operations. Operators will read, know, and apply all information provided in the manufacturer’s operator manual and will be able to interpret load charts, load testing, LMIs, and any safety instrumentation of each crane. Crane operators will know machine conditions, operational limitations, and load limitations for situations in which the operator may be involved. The operators will conduct all hoisting operations in a safe manner. Operators will be able to effectively communicate with riggers, signal persons, and other site personnel involved with hoisting operations.

The content and titles of NCCER’s mobile crane operator assessments are dependent upon each crane’s boom types while the content and titles of the practical examinations are grouped by the mount, or carriage, that is used with each crane.

Applicants who successfully complete both the knowledge and skills evaluations will be granted “certified mobile crane operator” status for a period of five years from issuance of certification.
Certified crane operators must continue to meet ASME B30 physical requirements throughout their certification period and attest to their agreement to this requirement in their applications.

OSHA requires employers to use qualified riggers during hoisting activities for assembly and disassembly work, when workers are within the fall zone and hooking, unhooking or guiding a load or doing the initial connection of a load to a component or structure.

The level of certification depends upon the individual’s training, knowledge, skill base, and ability to perform functions related to the selection, inspection, and proper use of rigging equipment. This person may be a pipe-fitter, an electrician or steelworker. Each load, pick, crane or job-site may require rigging that varies from simple to complex. Each is unique. The person designated as the rigger must have the ability to properly rig the load for a particular job. Many construction companies require certified riggers be used to attach the load to a crane hook. We offer three levels of Rigger certification to help you reach that next step in your profession.

CLICK HERE to register now!

Re-Certification Mobile Crane Operator – Telescoping Boom
October 7th, 2025 – October 9th, 2025The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities will be holding mobile crane re-certification and examination classes for mobile crane operators. OSHA’s updated crane standard REQUIRES that operators of lifting equipment be trained, evaluated, and tested to obtain re-certification.

Re-certification is required every 5 years. To re-certify you must retake and pass both the practical examination and the computerized test with an 80% score for each. There is no grace period after your certification expires.

The Re-Certification class is October 7th, 2025 - October 9th, 2025, and is open for registration.
Register NOW by clicking HERE!

Examination retakes are $139 and may be taken during any scheduled exam date.

Additional Notes:
• There is a maximum of 10 participants per class session
• All participants will attend classroom days. Exams will take place on the Wednesday of each class session. Depending on the number of participants, Wednesday evening and Friday may also be used for practical exams
• Each participant will need to bring their PPE for the practical exam: High Viz clothing, hardhat, safety glasses, gloves, safety shoes, and long pants.

Questions? If you have any questions regarding the classes, or requirements, please contact: Margret Meade, IAMU Safety Outreach Coordinator and Director of IAMU’s NCCER program (mmeade@iamu.org) Phone: 515.210.6617

NFPA 70B Pre-Recorded WebinarWe know it is tough for our smaller members to break away for a day and come down to IAMU for our workshops. The 70B information is important and we want to share with all our members, so we created this pre-recorded webinar.

Available now for viewing is our NFPA 70B Pre-Recorded Webinar. Please see the brochure for more information and CLICK HERE to register now for the webinar event. A certificate of attendance will be mailed after completion of the webinar.

Safety is dependent on properly maintained overcurrent protective devices and electrical equipment. Improperly maintained equipment has a higher chance of failure, increasing incident energy, which could increase the risk of injury or death to workers. This is where NFPA 70B, Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance, applies. With the 2023 update, NFPA 70B became a recognized standard instead of a recommended practice, meaning it is now enforceable.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines NFPA 70B as a standard that describes preventive maintenance procedures for electrical, electronic, and communication systems and equipment -- such as those used in industrial plants, power plants, institutional and commercial buildings, and large multi-family residential complexes -- to prevent equipment failures and worker injuries.

This workshop will cover the 5 main elements of NFPA 70B:
◼️ Maintenance scheduling
◼️ Equipment condition assessment
◼️ Electrical maintenance programs
◼️ Preventive maintenance procedures
◼️ System study intervals

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⚡Fall Electric Distribution Workshop ⚡

8/20/2025

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Hands On Workshop

Join us for an immersive workshop on line restoration, transformer changeouts and more. You’ll receive expert guidance from industry leaders while having the opportunity to network with linemen from across the state.

Topics:
⏹️Storm restoration
⏹️Overhead and underground transformer changeout
⏹️Transmission bell changeout
⏹️600 amp elbows
⏹️Learning about switchgear

Equipment & PPE Checklist:
Due to the nature of the workshop, attendees are required to bring:
✅Hard Hat
✅Climbing Gear & Harness
✅Leather Gloves
✅Safety Glasses
✅Rubber Gloves/Sleeves
✅Rain Gear
✅Proper Footwear (NO SNEAKERS)

Apprenticeship Testing & Skill Evaluations:
Apprentices will have the opportunity to take their written, year-end final exams and hands-on skill evaluations at one of the following times:
- Wednesday, Sept. 24 (in the morning) or
- Friday, Sept. 26 (after the workshop)

(Journeyman exams will only be given on Sept. 24)

These are the only available times for evaluations
and are limited to the first 10 apprentices to sign up.
Apprentices must pre-register for testing and evaluations. Please schedule with Meredith Hibbs at
mhibbs@iamu.org

👉🏻REGISTER HERE 👈🏻

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LCRR and LCRI Implementation in Iowa: Next Steps for PWSs

8/20/2025

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Iowa DNR's water supply program is continuing to track litigation against the LCRI and current administration review of the rule, expecting to provide more communication around LCRI requirements after there is more information about EPA's response, which is anticipated in December 2025.
In the meantime, we have the following information and recommendations to comply with the current LCRR and prepare for future LCRI deadlines:
LCRR Service Line Material Public Notice
November 15, 2025 is the next deadline for public notice to be sent to customers with lead, galvanized requiring replacement (GRR), or lead status unknown service line materials. If you were previously required to conduct public notice, but no longer have lead, GRR, or unknown lines in your inventory, DNR needs a record of that to avoid unnecessary public notice violations. At this time, DNR is asking that this record be provided by submission of an updated inventory file through the Iowa Drinking Water Data Portal (IDWDP). DNR is not looking for other updated inventory files at this time - see more on this in the LCRI Implementation information below.
LCRI Implementation
November 1, 2027 is the date to memorize - this is the compliance date of the LCRI and when the LCRI baseline inventory and replacement plans are due.
What water systems owners and operators can do right now:

Work on your Service Line Inventory

Identify Unknowns. The following are accepted, single-point verification methods for service line material identification for LCRI inventories: available construction and plumbing codes, permits, and records; water system records on service lines and connectors (such as distribution system maps and drawings, recent or historical records on each service connection and connector, meter installation records, historical capital improvement or master plans, and standard operating procedures); and distribution system inspection records.
Update your inventory and keep it current. Save as a local copy until we share how these can be submitted to DNR in the future through the IDWDP.
Update your service line connector material information or start gathering information on your connector materials. The LCRI will require connectors to be identified as either lead, non-lead, unknown, or to be noted as not present. If you want to update your local inventory file to note that a connector is not present, you may use the "General Notes" column at this time.
NOTE: these inventory updates do not require physical verification of service line materials. If there are records of visual material inspection/identification, make sure those records are kept.
Make sure your location identifiers for service lines and connectors in your inventory are street addresses whenever possible.

2. If your system has at least one lead, GRR, or unknown service line, start to prepare a replacement plan. LCRI-required elements for a replacement plan are summarized in this EPA fact sheet.
Iowa Drinking Water Data Portal Updates
Iowa DNR is working on Iowa Drinking Water Data Portal (IDWDP) changes that will allow LCRI baseline and annual inventories to be managed directly in the portal. This will be a change from sending DNR an Excel-based inventory file. In the interim, we recommend that water systems keep track of updates to their service line inventories locally until we have LCRI related features added to the portal.
Validation of non-lead service lines
The DNR is aware there may be some confusion on 2-point validation of non-lead service lines. The LCRI does not require 2-point verification to identify an unknown service line in an inventory; single point verification is acceptable. However, 2-point validation for a portion of non-lead lines is required by the LCRI. This 2-point validation is not due to be completed until December 31, 2034, with results due to the Iowa DNR on January 30, 2035. This is over 9 years away and we strongly recommend focusing on LCRI baseline inventories and replacement plans first, as those are currently due on November 1, 2027, roughly 2 years away.
EPA LCRI Fact Sheets: https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/lead-and-copper-rule-improvements-supporting-materials
Questions on these topics can be directed to:
TA Provider Preston Kizer, leadserviceline@iamu.org, 515-289-5203
or
LCRR@dnr.iowa.gov

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Managing an OSHA Inspection or Call-In Complaint Workshop

8/20/2025

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September 30th, 2025

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Those responsible in dealing with an OSHA site visit or a call-in complaint. This workshop is
good for front line supervisors, managers, administrators, and clerks.

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
Are we ever really prepared to welcome OSHA into our workspace? Attend this workshop and
find out about OSHA and how we become the focus of an inspection and what you can expect
anytime OSHA contacts or visits your site. Attendees will receive an OSHA inspection policy
outline that they can take back and make specific to their workplace. The workshop will also
cover OSHA's policies and procedures so that attendees will have the knowledge to arm
themselves if they ever hear the dreaded words..."OSHA's here. What now?"

Please see the attached brochure for more information and CLICK HERE to register for the event.

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