pay icon

NEWS RELEASE: Des Moines Water Works becomes only U.S. water utility to receive national, international recognition for energy management standards

DES MOINES, Iowa (October 15, 2021) – Des Moines Water Works recently became the only water utility in the nation to be certified for nationally and internationally recognized energy management standards for all of its treatment plants.

The utility’s three treatment plants: Fleur Drive, Saylorville and L.D. McMullen are all certified to ISO 50001 and SEP 50001 Gold, per a review and audit that included review by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Superior Energy Performance (SEP) group. Previously, only the Fleur Drive plant was ISO 50001 certified in 2017.

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.

SEP 50001 has three levels: silver, gold and platinum. Once an organization receives ISO 50001 certification, it can receive SEP 50001 certification and then submit a scorecard to rank higher based on measurement and verification of its energy performance.

“This project aligns perfectly with our mission and our values related to leadership, stewardship and employee experience,” CEO and General Manager Ted Corrigan said. “This is an accomplishment every DMWW employee can be proud of because so many of them are involved in the day-to-day implementation of the practices.”

Based on Department of Energy calculations, DMWW has reduced its total CO2 emissions by almost 26,000 metric tons in the four years that ended December 2020. During that same time period, DMWW has reduced its overall energy intensity by more than 10 percent, saving the utility $830,400 on electricity, natural gas, LP, gasoline and diesel fuel.

“Managing our energy use is one of the many responsibilities we have to our customers,” Corrigan said.- “ISO 50001 certification shows we are doing it at the highest level.”

DMWW also 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. The award winners will be selected this month.

###

About Des Moines Water Works

Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) is a regional water utility serving the citizens of Des Moines and surrounding communities (approximately 600,000 people). DMWW is an independently operated public utility with a commitment to leading, advocating and investing today and in the future to deliver water you can trust for life.

Contact:
Jennifer Terry
External Affairs Manager
terry@dmww.com
515-283-8706

 

background image