Iowa
Rural
Water
Association
"Serving the needs of Iowa’s Water and Wastewater Industries Today and Into the Future”
4221 South 22nd Ave East
Newton, IA 50208
(641) 787-0330
FAX: (641) 787-0331
EMAIL: [email protected]
IRWA Membership Benefits
Membership
IRWA members receive discounted registration fees to our premier training events, subscriptions to the Water Street Journal, a copy of our annual directory, access to our Regional Equipment Facilities, access to a Vision Insurance Plan for your employees and various other discounted programs. IRWA has five categories of membership available: Regional Water Systems, Community, Associate, Non-Community and Individual.
On-Site Technical Assistance
IRWA provides comprehensive on-site technical assistance to its members through USDA-RD funded water and wastewater Circuit Riders. IRWA’s Circuit Riders are dedicated, licensed, and highly-skilled professionals who travel the state assisting systems with leak locating, line tracing, rate setting, technical problems, trouble shooting, maintenance and regulatory compliance issues. Each year IRWA staff makes over 2,200 on-site contacts across the state.
CCR Reporting
Electronic delivery of the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is an acceptable method of delivery of the CCR. As a member of IRWA YOU can upload your CCR document for FREE at www.iowaccr.org .
Save your system money by using this free service!
Here are the simple steps to take:
1. Call IRWA to obtain your PIN# at (641) 787-0330 or look for your PIN# on the IRWA CCR notification that we mail each year in April.
2. Go to www.iowaccr.org and click on the header “Submit CCR”.
3. Click on the “Submit CCR” water drop. Then find your city or system in the drop-down menu.
4. Enter the year, PIN#, and Email address.
5. Browse for your CCR file (file must be in .pdf format) and submit!
6. Mail a notification that the CCR is available on the website via a direct URL. This notification can be posted on a bill and/or newsletter.
Important: you MUST supply the direct URL. The URL must remain active for three years.
Training Opportunities
Managers, operators, mayors, council members, clerks and board members can take advantage of the many training sessions provided by IRWA. Each year IRWA conducts over 200 hours of statewide water and wastewater training through the administration of the USEPA Training and Technical Assistance program and USDA-RD Wastewater programs. IRWA’s diversified curriculum includes topics such as: system operations, human resource issues, rules and regulations updates, legal and legislative matters, organizational management, rate setting, asset management and governance. In addition to IRWA’s statewide training, four premier events are offered annually: our Annual Conference in February, a Spring Conference and two Fall Conferences.
Groundwater/Source Water Programs
IRWA is strongly committed to preserving Iowa’s water resources through the implementation of Wellhead and Source Water Protection Plans. Our efforts are specifically designed to assist public water systems in protecting and preserving existing water supplies against contamination.
Energy Efficiency Audits
IRWA has a program to assist water and wastewater utility systems to evaluate and lower their energy consumption and costs. This energy efficiency assessment considers current and past energy use, identifies the primary energy consuming components, and identifies methods to lower energy use and costs. The eligible systems will serve communities with fewer than 10,000 people, as well as rural areas and similar entities qualified to receive USDA Rural Development water and wastewater loans and grants.
Legislative and Regulatory Activities
IRWA represents its members before the Iowa Congressional delegation, the Iowa Legislature and the agencies that fund and regulate water and wastewater systems in our state. IRWA monitors and interacts with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and other federal and state agencies on behalf of our members.
Our Contract Lobbyist is Emily Piper. Emily has degrees in political science and international studies from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a master’s degree in public administration from Drake University. She formed Piper Consulting Services in 2002 , bringing her extensive experience in state and federal lobbying and grassroots skills to her clients. Emily spent fourteen years honing these skills while working in Washington, D.C. and in Iowa for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. Emily’s skills in political intuition were also honed through her work on a variety of campaigns - from the local level to the presidential level over the breadth of her career. Emily has built strong relationships with legislators at all levels and in both parties and is highly regarded by legislators, staff and her colleagues in the lobbying industry.
IRWA Scholarship Program
This program is available to children or step-children of any IRWA member employee. Students must be 26 or under by September 1st of the current school year. Scholarship Applications are available each year starting in January and the deadline for submission is the first week of April.