IN THIS ISSUE: Water Utilities Are Reliable Even During a Power Outage - MARCH 2021 | Poweshiek Water Association
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M A R C H 2021 | Poweshiek Water Association
IN THIS ISSUE:
Water Utilities Are Reliable
Even During a Power Outage
on the cover Publisher Iowa Rural Water
Association
There are many resources and contingencies available to water utilities when Editor Cathy Law
disaster strikes. Plus water towers are built to serve your needs all year round
power or no power. You can rest assured that the water professionals at your Senior Account Executive Kris Stepanek
local system have carefully made plans to keep the water flowing 24/7.
QUENCH Magazine is published 2 times
per year by the Iowa Rural Water Association
( irwa ). The magazine is distributed by mail
to irwa members’ consumers.
The IRWA Mission: To provide the highest
leadership in the support of Iowa’s water and
wastewater industries through the provision
of technical assistance, training and educa-
tion, legislative, regulatory and public affairs,
and financing activities.
3
All rights of this publication are strictly re-
From The Manager’s Desk served and no part of it may be reproduced
in whole or in part without expressed written
4
permission from the publisher. While the
Would You Like Ice With That Water? information has been compiled carefully
to ensure maximum accuracy at the time of
publication, it is provided for general guid-
Everyone Lives in a Watershed
5 ance and is subject to change. Entire contents
are protected by Copyright 2019 QUENCH
and the Iowa Rural Water Association.
PWA Annual Meeting 6
7
Magazine design and printing provided by:
PWA Changes To Our Staff Sutherland Printing
P O Box 550
525 North Front Street
8
WATER UTILITIES ARE RELIABLE Montezuma, Iowa 50171
Even During a Power Outage
10
USDA Rural Development
Providing Clean Water and So Much More
Water Matters — Wellhead Protection
12
2 QUENCH Magazine | MARCH 2021
From The
Manager’s Desk
By Chad A. Coburn, Executive Director
A lot has happened since the July publication. on all departments to ensure water kept absence. Again, we are just so blessed to
Your Association hired two new Treatment flowing. The communications tower was have such great people here. At the end of
Plant Operators in July to work out of our Tama reconstructed and reinstalled, albeit shorter, Oct/beginning of November Covid-19 found
Water Treatment Plant. We had been one per- by 7:30 the evening of the storm. The distri- four of our employees. Thank goodness their
son short since April and with retirements on bution operators drove around and through symptoms didn’t land them in the hospital
the horizon we found two young men who the damage to check our booster stations, but the effects were lingering. Being down 5
really fit the bill for what we were looking for. install batteries, and check tower antennas employees for a few weeks was difficult but
You can find information on each of them while the communications tower at the plant the staff persevered.
in this issue. Speaking of new hires, we also was being reconstructed. By dark we could It was during the October/November time
hired a new young lady for our open customer read what was happening at all tower and frame that our construction crew did about
service position in September. The position booster locations in our system. The work 60% of the necessary line moves along
had been vacated by Carma Craig when she was flawless, everyone did their part without Highway 30 between Highway 21 East to 21st
became our new Customer Service Manager issue. Our staff was so dedicated, even though Ave in Benton County. The remainder of
after DeAnn McWilliams retired last January. some had serious damage to their homes and the work will be completed beginning next
Her information is also in this issue. properties, they still made their job a priority spring. The crew had previously completed
August brought the Derecho to our system. even when they were strongly encouraged line moves at the Highway 21 and Highway 30
We are proud to say although we suffered to take care of their own damage. We have a intersection earlier in the summer.
major damage to our Tama Water Treatment wonderful staff.
A reminder that in this issue is the information
Plant with a large portion of the roof being torn In September we upgraded the Deep River for our Annual Meeting in April on the 14th.
off, losing our communications tower and Booster Station with all new controls, piping Here’s to hoping we can hold it in person
other roof damage coupled with no electricity and pumps to increase flows to the Southeast unlike last year when we postponed it until
in our entire system, water still flowed uninter- part of our system. This had been in the September and then had it have it as a call
rupted to our customers. We did this without planning stages for the last two years. It was in meeting.
generation in our distribution system. This is important the project took place in September
the third time since I have been manager that due to weather and the typical flows we see. I will leave you with this. I have lived my life one
during a major weather event, where power The station was taken out of service and we day at a time since I was very young, know-
outages were longstanding, water was still used an above ground pump and controls ing that it could be my last. I’ve enjoyed each
flowing without interruption. My hat is off to to continue to provide the proper pressures dawn whether it was bright or dreary because
TIP/REC for their tireless work on getting power to our customers. In the next two years we I didn’t know if I’d see tomorrow’s. I encourage
to our Tama Plant and Well Field in the days will be increasing some pipe sizes to increase you to do the same by seeking joy in the every
after the storm. flows to and from the “new” booster station. day. I want you to find a way to care about
your neighbors, to be kind and giving. Let
I can’t say enough about what our staff did Unfortunately I missed about two months those you love know it and hug them every
right after the storm. It was a of work due to a health issue beginning day. You make the world what it is. You’ve
well-orchestrated effort mid-October but the staff did a only got one chance at this thing called
wonderful job in my life. Why not give it your all and
make it great?
MARCH 2021 | QUENCH Magazine 3
Would You Like Ice
With That Water?
By Matt Tapken
There are many things in life that we do to get to the next stop. That gallon is still of water can severely damage a tower by
not put a lot of thought into because they moving quickly so freezing is not an issue expanding enough to split a weld or break
are simply taken care of by the people that so far, but as the gallon moves further it a pipe. Another thing that can happen is that
strive to make their services function with- begins to slow down. The journey to the the ice inside can float around in a tower like
out interruption. Restaurants have much next tower is several days. After it arrives an iceberg and damage the interior paint or
going on in the background to make your at the third tower it departs once again, even the steel. By implementing any one or
dining experience the best it can be, includ- this time on a longer journey. It needs a a combination of these remedies we can
ing keeping your drink ice cold if that is couple of weeks to move to the fourth and minimize risks during the winter months and
your preference. In the electrical business, final tower in its travels. A total of about a insure a long reliable service life for the tank.
workers are tasked with keeping the lights month elapses by the time it reaches the
on even during adverse conditions like last customers tap. If you noticed, each leg In summary, pwa strives to let you make your
storms or completing routine maintenance of the journey takes longer to complete. own decision about whether you prefer ice in
such as tree trimming around highlines. In The outlying towers are smaller because your water or not. We employ similar tactics in
the drinking water business this is also the there is less usage, therefore they are more the summer as far as the heat goes, but that
case. There is much work to be done to prone to icing up. We have several tricks up is a story I will tell on a warmer day.
keep the water flowing all the time. One our sleeve to combat this. We can put less
thing that can be challenging is avoiding water in the tower but do
freezing in the water towers. it more times per day.
We can choose to only
In Iowa the weather can be hard to predict run the pumps at night
on a daily basis, but one thing is for certain, forcing warm water into
at some point we are going to have winter the towers during the
and the weather will get cold. To what coldest time of day. We
extent you enjoy this varies from person can install mixers that
to person. This can pose a problem for our move the water to avoid
water towers. It is a simple notion but may freezing. Even insulation
not be on many people’s minds unless you on the pipe going up to
work in the business or are experiencing the bowl of the tower can
a problem. Look at a water tower like a be helpful. In extreme
glass of water. If you set a glass of water cases with the smallest
outside in the dead of winter it will freeze if of towers during the
allowed to be still. If we drain some of that coldest temperatures, we
water out every few hours and replace it can remove those towers
with warmer water, it will not freeze. This is from service by draining
exactly how our towers behave. We have to them completely.
turnover 30 –50 percent of the water every
day in each tower to make sure they do not So back to that glass of
freeze. Different towers behave differently water placed outside. If
depending on many variables. we do not keep that water
moving and replace it
Let’s follow a gallon of water from our plant with fresh, the water
to the end of the system. In two hours will freeze and break the
it goes through one tower and on to the glass. Likewise, if a tower
next. From there it takes about four hours freezes, that large volume
4 QUENCH Magazine | MARCH 2021
Everyone Lives in a Watershed
What is a Watershed? An area of land that drains to a common water body.
Your actions, habits and decisions have an effect on our watershed
and the animals and plants that share life with us.
What can you do to protect our watershed?
CAR REPAIR
According to the US Bureau of Transportation, there are over 263 million registered
passenger vehicles on the road. That’s a lot of opportunity for an oil and/or antifreeze
leak to happen on your driveway. Those leaks can then run off your cement and enter
the watershed through the storm drains which then pollutes water sources. Check
your vehicle health often so you are able to catch leaks and get them repaired quickly.
PICK UP AFTER YOUR PET
The American Pet Products Association (APPA) reports that in 2016 68 percent of U.S.
households owned some sort of pet. And you know what that means….a lot of Poop!
Looks, size and diet don’t matter – pets can pollute if you don’t pick up after them. If
you pet defecates in your backyard, chances are it will quickly enter the watershed.
Waste components like fecal bacteria and nutrients are washed into storm drains,
streams, and other receiving waters by irrigation, rain, melting snow and flooding.
They can also simply leach through the soil and into the groundwater. Clean up after
your pets daily to prevent pet pollution.
STORM DRAIN/RAIN DRAIN
Your storm drain is not a means for you to dispose of grass clippings, leaves and
other trash. These wastes should be swept up and collected, not pushed or poured
down the nearest storm drain. You’ll save water and keep harmful pollutants from
shedding into the drains by disposing of yard waste properly. If it’s not rainwater, it
doesn’t belong in the storm drain.
CLEAN WATER STARTS WITH YOU
When it rains, whatever doesn’t soak into the ground runs off roofs and yards, down
streets, into storm drains and then directly into rivers, lakes, creeks, and other local
water bodies. If that runoff is polluted, it’s most likely that our own actions caused
the problem, and we are contaminating our water. If you don’t want to drink it, swim
in it, or fish in it, don’t put it in the water. Remember: Not Rain? No Drain!
MARCH 2021 | QUENCH Magazine 5
6 QUENCH Magazine | MARCH 2021
New Customer Service Team Member
Chloe Roberts
Poweshiek Water Association near Victor with her husband Chad
welcomed Chloe Roberts to our where they raise three boys. In her
Customer Service Team this past spare time Chloe enjoys going to
September. Chloe came to us from flea markets, decorating, gardening
Unity Point Grinnell Hospital where and spending time with her family.
she was a surgical technologist. She Be sure to listen for the new voice
is a current member of PWA living when you call in to the office.
New Water Treatment Operator
Dillon Sanders
On July 27th Dillon Sanders began his Society Service Company as a
career as a Water Treatment Operator water operator. Currently living near
for Poweshiek Water Association at Brooklyn, he is excited to get married
our Tama Water Treatment Plant. this coming fall to his fiancé, Annie
A Grade I Distribution and Water Axmear. When not at work, Dillon
Treatment License holder, Dillion enjoys spending his time hunting
previously worked for the Amana and fishing.
New Water Treatment Operator
Keaton Rhinehart
Keaton Rhinehart joined Poweshiek Industrial Tech/Occupation Safety
Water Association on July 16th and with a General Business minor.
to work as a Water Treatment Keaton resides in Brooklyn which is
Operator at the Tama Water where he was born and raised. In
Treatment Plant. He had gradu- his spare time Keaton likes to hunt,
ated from Iowa State University in fish, travel, golf, game and watch
May with a bachelor’s degree in sporting events.
MARCH 2021 | QUENCH Magazine 7
WATER UTILITIES ARE RELIABLE
Even During a Power Outage
By Greg Huff, Iowa Rural Water Association Chief Executive Officer
O n August 10, 2020 millions of people in the Midwest woke up to what they thought was going to be another beautiful summer day.
By that evening, many of those in the path of an unexpected derecho were dealing with substantial property and crop damage. The
storm, which originated in South Dakota and lasted 14 hours, swept across the Midwest through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin
and Indiana. Four other states were somewhat less affected. In all, the storm track was 770 miles long with 126 mile per hour peak wind gusts,
spawning 25 tornados. By far, Iowa was the hardest hit state of all – sustaining a large portion of the estimated $7.5 billion in total damages.
In addition to the property damage, as many as 1.9 million customers Because the water systems in the derecho-affected area had quite a bit
lost power in the days to follow. It is estimated that 585,000 customers of water already stored in their elevated towers when the unexpected
in Iowa were affected, some for nearly two weeks. Additionally, there storm hit, the immediate, widespread electric outages didn’t imme-
were widespread outages for landline and cell phone service, and diately affect the water pressure in the systems. Those systems that
cable and internet utilities. If there was one bright spot in all of this, it had backup generators in place switched over to backup generators
is that the water kept flowing from the tap for rural water system and as needed. Fortunately, Rathbun Regional Water Association, near
municipal water customers in spite of the widespread power outages. Centerville, Iowa, was largely unaffected by the derecho. They were
able to loan several backup generators to a system in central Iowa that
You may wonder how your water utility can continue to provide safe, needed them. Poweshiek Water Association, a regional water utility in
clean water when many of the other utilities are out of commission. east central Iowa that was in the main path of the storm, was able to
It has to do with how a water utility is designed. Once raw water is continue to provide pressurized water to all of their customers in the
obtained from its source, either from a surface water or groundwater aftermath of the storm. This was in spite of the fact that Poweshiek’s
source, it is then pumped to the utility’s water plant to be treated Tama Water Plant sustained significant damage from the storm, includ-
before being pumped into the distribution system. As it is pushed ing the loss of the plant’s roof and communication tower.
into the system, the water fills the pipes, and the excess water fills the
water towers in the system. The main function of the water towers is Many water utilities in Iowa also belong to iowarn – the Iowa Water/
to pressurize the water for distribution. Wastewater Agency Response Network. iowarn is a network of utilities
helping other utilities to respond to and recover from emergencies. The
This is often done during non-peak hours when water demand is low purpose of iowarn is to provide a method whereby water/wastewater
and the cost of electricity is also typically lower. As water fills the tower, utilities that have sustained or anticipate damages from natural or
which is often located on higher ground, it creates hydrostatic pressure. human-caused incidents can provide and receive emergency aid and
Hydrostatic pressure occurs when a large amount of elevated water assistance in the form of personnel, equipment, materials, and other
pushes down on the water in the system and pressurizes the system. associated services as necessary, from other water/wastewater utilities.
Thus, the system is “gravity fed” and provides a reliable, steady water
pressure to customers throughout the distribution system, even when As you can see there are
the pumps aren’t running. many resources and con-
tingencies available to water
Most water towers can hold at least a one-day supply of water on aver- utilities when disaster strikes.
age. Maintaining large quantities of elevated water plays an important You can rest assured that the
role in regulating the water pressure, regardless of the fluctuation in water professionals at your
water demand throughout the day. As the water is used, the supply local system have carefully
and pressure begins to fall, and the system’s pumps kick in to supply made plans to keep the water
the system with more water as needed. With no power available this flowing 24/7.
would be a major problem. Fortunately, nowadays most water utilities
have backup generators to power the pumps when the normal supply
Poweshiek Water
of electricity is interrupted. While it is miserable to be without power
Association's Tama
and other utilities for an extended period of time, it would be much Water Treatment Plant
worse to be without water service as well. So, water outages, even roof damage caused by
during a major storm event, don’t occur very often. This was the case the derecho
during last summer’s derecho.
8 QUENCH Magazine | JANUARY 2021
JANUARY 2021 | QUENCH Magazine 9
Photo by Matthew Doyle. 10 QUENCH Magazine | JANUARY 2021
USDA Rural Development,
Providing Clean Water and So Much More
by Matthew Doyle, USDA RD Iowa Public Affairs Officer
S eptember 24, 2020, the groundbreaking for Iowa Lakes Regional Water's Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant took place. The project
received funding through the USDA Rural Development and is also utilizing interim financing through CoBank. Bette Brand, USDA Deputy Under
Secretary for Rural Development, Grant Menke, USDA Rural Development Iowa State Director, and other USDA RD staff attended the event.
usda Iowa Rural Development generally plays a significant role in rural usda Rural Development offers more than just the critical water needs
Iowa's water infrastructure, and 2020 was no different. We invested $124.9 of communities. As much as we understand how vital it is for rural
million to expand access to safe drinking water and improve wastewater water infrastructure, we know that much more is needed to maintain
management systems across the state. These investments will enhance and grow the rural communities where we operate.
the reliability of the local water supply for 118,198 rural Iowans.
usda Rural Development has supported the expansion of rural broad-
wep provides funding for the construction of water and waste facilities band with our ReConnect Pilot Program and Telecom Infrastructure
in rural communities and is proud to be the only Federal program Programs, investing $35.8 million, which provided 6,165 households,
exclusively focused on rural water and waste infrastructure needs of farms, and businesses high-speed internet. For our Community
rural communities with populations of 10,000 or less. wep also provides Facilities Programs, we invested $92.7 million in loans and grants
funding to organizations that provide technical assistance and training that funded the construction or modernization of 42 essential com-
to rural communities concerning their water and waste activities. munity facilities such as rural hospitals, educational institutions, and
public safety facilities, benefiting 233,689 rural residents across Iowa.
Within our Water and Environmental Programs (wep), usda Rural Housing Programs, a necessary piece to rural communities (after a
Development provides Water and Waste Disposal loan, grant and sustainable water infrastructure has been established, of course),
guarantee funding options, along with other lending opportunities broke the ceiling in 2020. $287.2 million went to investments in direct
listed here: and guaranteed loans through the Single-Family Housing Programs,
• Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants (ecwag) which helped 2,418 low- and moderate-income families buy homes
throughout the Hawkeye State. We didn't stop there, investing $33.3
• Household Water Well Systems Grant million to assist rural businesses through our Business and Industry
Loan Guarantee Program.
• Revolving Funds for Financing Water and Wastewater Projects
(Revolving Fund Program) usda Rural Development has done a lot to support rural Iowa's needs
because we know when rural Iowa succeeds, all of Iowa follows. But
• Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and
even with a record-breaking year, we know there is still more to do,
Households (search)
and we are here to do it!
• Solid Waste Management Grants
usda Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.7
• Predevelopment Planning Grants (ppg) million residents living in rural Iowa. Office locations include a state office
in Des Moines and local offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola,
• Technical Assistance and Training Grants Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton, and Waverly.
For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/ia, call (515) 284-4663, or
Our team is devoted to finding ways to support your rural commu-
follow us on Twitter @RD_Iowa
nity's needs.
JANUARY 2021 | QUENCH Magazine 11Presorted
Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
Montezuma, IA
Permit No. 30
Poweshiek Water Association
125 Industrial Drive
Brooklyn, IA 52211
Water Matters —
Wellhead Protection
with Aaron Schroeder
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (dnr) defines an aban- IS THERE CURRENTLY ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE?
doned well as “A water well which is no longer in use, or the well is in If you’re interested in closing a private well, cost share is available
such a state of disrepair that continued use of the well for the purpose through the Grants-to-Counties (gtc) program. The gtc is funded by
of accessing water is unsafe or impractical.” Though much progress has the Iowa Groundwater Protection Act and is administered by the Iowa
been made in recent decades, abandoned wells continue to pose a Department of Public Health. The Iowa Department of Public Health
potential water quality hazard in Iowa. Among other risks, abandoned works closely with Iowa dnr staff to ensure proper well testing, closure,
wells serve as a direct conduit for contaminated surface water to enter and rehabilitation.
groundwater sources. Funding available for the gtc program vary by county.
WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR MY UNUSED WELL? WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
There are three primary options available to manage wells that are no Additional information on well closing your wells can be found in
longer in use. the “Environmental Protection” section of the Iowa dnr’s website.
Well plugging typically involves removing the well’s pump and filling the Contact your county environmental health office for information on
well with clay or other material. The top 4 feet of the casing and any the availability of gtc funding.
other structural or well operation materials are then removed. The well
plugging process may vary depending on well size, well construction
materials, and local geology.
A properly
Well rehabilitation involves renovating and rehabilitating well structures abandoned
to improve the well’s reliability and water quality. municipal
Placing a well in “standby” requires removing a well’s pump and capping well in Fort
the well to prevent possible contamination. If a well is placed in standby, Atkinson, Iowa
it can be returned to operation at a later date.
12 QUENCH Magazine | MARCH 2021You can also read
