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Culture

Regardless of your title or position at Des Moines Water Works, every employee contributes to the quality of life for 600,000 Central Iowans. We look for individuals who consistently deliver a high level of customer service, dedication and commitment.

Health and Wellness is another part of our culture at DMWW.  We are helping our employees be proactive towards their health and wellness.  We have been recognized for our well workplace.

When it comes to safety, we are striving to create a greater awareness of hazards and situations that can affect employees and solutions to protect them.

We also emphasize sustainability. Even before the green movement became popular, Des Moines Water Works had a long history of striving to be environmentally responsible.  

Des Moines Water Works is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and complies with the Iowa Smokefree Air Act.

Safety
We recognize and mitigate risks in the tasks we do at Des Moines Water Works and also in our personal lives. We believe that learning from one another's experiences is how we succeed together, and we have an intentional focus on understanding each other's perspectives and recognizing the value they bring. 

Our peer-driven culture is fostered by staff watching out for safety issues that might affect themselves and their peers; and by collaboratively working together for better solutions. More simply put, we work together while looking after one another.

Our Central Safety Committee (CSC) has representation from multiple workgroups. We discuss and act to provide a safe workplace by improving the culture and awareness of safety. We emphasize and practice fluid communication between our frontline staff and the Committee, ultimately getting more eyes, ears, and attention to potential concerns.

We also provide a layered training and educational approach for our employees to be better equipped with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to have a successful career and a life after work.


Environmental Stewardship
Des Moines Water Works has a long history of striving to be environmentally responsible.  Our forefathers believed strongly in protecting the water quality of our river sources, and as such acquired the land that is today Water Works Park and Maffitt Reservoir.  Through the decades, our employees have also invested in upgrading our infrastructure to make it more energy efficient. Energy costs are a significant portion of the utility’s operational budget, so focusing on developing and implementing an energy management system is a crucial step in this stewardship. 

Des Moines Water Works has taken a pro-active step in good stewardship of energy and ratepayer dollars by implementing a comprehensive energy conservation and management system.  In the fall of 2017, AWMS, Inc., a third-party certification body, conducted an ISO 50001 and Superior Energy Performance audit of Des Moines Water Works’ energy management system and subsequent improved energy performance. Des Moines Water Works was the first water utility in the world to become ISO 50001 registered and certified to Superior Energy Performance®.  Des Moines Water Works joins companies like Volvo, Cummins and 3M as energy management leaders in the U.S.  Since 2017, DMWW has improved energy performance by 10.2%, saving customers over $830,000 and reducing CO2 emissions by 25,952 metric tons.

All of our actions are meant to ensure the management and protection of our watersheds and natural resources for the benefit of future generations. Providing drinking water you can trust for life – today and in the future – is DMWW’s mission.  By protecting the Des Moines and Raccoon River Watersheds, we can serve our communities and share the benefits of our natural environment, including an abundance of source water with the capacity to provide drinking water to many generations to come. This is a responsibility we all share.
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