Calmar Wins IRWA 2024 Community of the Year Award

The Iowa Rural Water Association has recognized Calmar.

Results of the 2024 Community of the Year Award have seen city staff recognized.

In the last 15 years the City of Calmar and its employees have engaged in numerous activities with the goal of improving the quality of operations and resilience of their water and wastewater system as well as improving their overall community.

In 2019, upgrades to Calmar’s wastewater plant were completed.  They installed a SAGR (Submerged Attached Growth Reactor) system to better reach their effluent limits.  As a requirement of the new system, plant operators Matt Bullerman and Junior Boyer were required to upgrade their wastewater licenses to a Grade II, a requirement which both operators promptly met.  The system is now online and running smoothly.

The City of Calmar has also been highly proactive when addressing other issues. In 2022 they began work with IRWA on a source water protection plan, which was completed in 2024. As part of their source water protection plan, they purchased land and established setbacks for land use control near both active city wells to better protect them from surface contamination.  In 2024 Calmar began work on a solar project that will supply electricity to their water and wastewater operations, which will also help reduce costs of water production and wastewater treatment.

The City of Calmar has also been proactive with monitoring water loss and has worked extensively with IRWA to locate water leaks and reduce water loss in their distribution system, helping keep operational costs down.  Ongoing improvements to city infrastructure include scheduled “sliplining” of 1,000 feet of collection system line each year to reduce inflow and infiltration.  In 2024, Calmar installed 688 feet of new water main, replaced 630 feet of water main, and installed three new hydrants to keep up with system needs.

In addition to proactively improving their own system, the City of Calmar has assisted surrounding communities as well by working with IRWA to provide a location for water and wastewater operators continuing education classes.  Since 2022 IRWA has hosted numerous trainings at the Calmar Fire Station, where topics ranging frow wastewater lagoons to cybersecurity have been discussed.

The City of Calmar and its employees exemplify the dedication and proactive approach that small communities should strive for.  Through infrastructure improvements, commitment to environmental sustainability, and investment in the professional growth of its staff and neighboring communities, Calmar has positioned itself as a leader among Iowa’s small towns.  Their achievements over the past 15 years highlight their commitment to long-term resilience and well-being of themselves and surrounding communities.  Calmar’s efforts are a testament to the power of forward-thinking leadership and serve as an inspiring model for other communities to follow.