Services

The Johnston Public Works Department consists of streets, construction and stormwater observation, waste water, water, fleet services and traffic and facilities divisions.

The Department provides maintenance and service for streets, storm sewers, water and sewer lines, and city vehicles as well as stormwater drainage ways, city facilities, traffic signals and signs. In all, this includes, but is not limited to:

• 106 miles of streets or 234 lane miles in total 
• 81 miles of sanitary sewer lines 
• 1775 sanitary manholes 
• 377 grinder pump assemblies 
• 6 sanitary lift stations
• 151 miles of water mains 
• 1,677 hydrants 
• 1328 hydrant valves
• 1320 water main valves 
• 4 water pump stations 
• Three storage tanks that hold an estimated four million gallons of water 
• 75 miles of storm sewer
• 1,454 storm sewer manholes 
• 2681 storm sewer inlets

Administration
Administrative services for the department are performed by the Director (Matt Greiner), Superintendent (Brian Wilson), and administrative assistant (Lori Mason). Customer service calls and other inquiries are received by the administrative staff and the necessary action is taken to respond to the situation.

Streets Division
When traveling on a city street, walking on a sidewalk you are benefiting from services provided by the Johnston Public Works Department. Streets Division staff is responsible for cleaning, repairing and maintaining city streets, storm sewers, drainageways, and rights of way. The department repairs and maintains, but not limited to the following:

• 106 miles of streets or 234 lane miles in total
• 75 miles of storm sewer
• 1,454 storm sewer manholes 
• 2681 storm sewer inlets
• All drainageways/Public Rights of Ways

The Streets Division is committed to performing the functions of planning, implementation and management of the City’s infrastructure system of streets to the highest safety and cost-effective standards possible.
Snow removal is handled by the Streets Division with assistance from all Public Works Divisions as well as the Parks Department staff.

The Streets Division consists of seven employees and a Superintendent.

• Brian Wilson – Superintendent
• Steve Buckalew – Crew Leader
• Carl Klosterman
• Nathan McGinnis
• Scott Chiri
• Audie Carman
• Todd Schlotter

Construction and Stormwater Observation
Johnston is a growing community and with the growth comes construction. The activities included in this division are residential and commercial development plan review, construction observation of all city infrastructure, sidewalk and driveway construction and replacement, Right of Way management, quarterly stormwater inspections, stormwater compliance with the City’s MS4 permit and contract services management.

This division currently has one employee, Brody Buskohl. 

The goal of the Public Works inspection division is to provide the citizens of Johnston with quality control and quality assurance with respect to standard city design criteria through the daily on-site inspection over all public works construction.

This includes: right-of-way, lane closure and easement permits for private/public utility work, residential and non-residential development improvements and capital improvement projects implemented within the City's right-of-way.

The City is responsible for inspecting all public stormwater management facilities. Homeowners and private property owners are responsible for the maintenance of their private stormwater drainage-ways and facilities.

Water/Waste Water Division
The public works facility also houses the water/sewer maintenance division. When you turn on the water, this division assures that you receive safe drinking water. Likewise, when you use the washing machine or wash the dishes, this division is responsible for the handling of the waste water. The six employees and superintendent in the division maintain the entire necessary infrastructure related to water distribution and sanitary sewage collection. The Water/Waste Water Division also provides utility locating service for city-owned buried utilities and contract management for related improvements.

There are seven employees and a water analyst in the Water/Wastewater Division

• Shane Kinsey – Water/Wastewater Analyst
• Kyle Henderson – Crew Leader
• Tim Schumacher
• Denny Messenger
• Matt Shelton
• Jesse Markus
• Grant Selby
• Brandon Mellencamp

Water/Wastewater service provided by the city is essential for maintaining the quality of life residents of the city expect. Water/Wastewater department staff members pride themselves on assisting the community in maintaining the quality of life that residents enjoy. Water/Wastewater department staff responds to calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It is the Water Department’s mission to maintain and improve the City’s water distribution system to ensure high quality and dependability. The Water Department is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the City's approximately 151 miles of water mains, 1,320 water main valves, 4 pump stations, 1,677 fire hydrants and 1,328 hydrant valves and water meters.

Sanitary sewer systems improve residents’ quality of life by providing a mechanism to remove waste that is generated by the community. By removing waste water it improves the health and overall appearance of the community. Johnston has approximately 81 miles of publicly owned sanitary sewer the sewer department is responsible for maintaining. Tasks completed by the department include cleaning sewer mains, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) inspections of the sanitary sewer system, inspecting manholes, repairing manholes, maintaining pumps, repairing damaged sewer main, and various other duties.

The city is also a member of the Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA). The WRA is a regional sewer authority that is responsible for the treatment of wastewater that is created in the Des Moines Metropolitan Area. The wastewater that is generated by the city is transmitted to Des Moines to be treated at the Wastewater Reclamation Facility."

Traffic and Facilities
This division is responsible for the daily operations and maintenance of all traffic control devices within the City of Johnston. Examples of the services provided by this group are traffic signal modifications, preventive maintenance, customer service requests, system communications, traffic signing, street painting, and maintenance services for public buildings such as the Library, City Hall, Public Safety Building and Public Works.
The traffic and facilities Division includes three staff members.

• Doug Kueck – Crew Leader
• Tim Mentele
• Jim Mart

The signs and markings section of the Traffic Operations Division is responsible for the maintenance and repair of traffic control signs and pavement markings throughout the city.
Traffic control signs are erected along roadways to provide guidance or convey warning and regulatory information to motorists and pedestrians. Examples of these are street name signs, speed limit signs, stop and yield signs, and warning signs.

Pavement markings consist of yellow and white markings placed on paved road surfaces for the purpose of channelizing the flow of vehicular traffic and provide safe areas for pedestrians to cross roadways. Examples of these markings are solid or dashed yellow and white lines, turn arrows and crosswalks.

These three staff members are also responsible for maintenance, repair and upkeep of all City owned buildings. This includes all heating, air conditioning, ventilating, plumbing and other associated building maintenance activities.
Types of work includes the following:

• Unscheduled work which is performed as needed.
• Scheduled work is performed as the need arises.
• Preventative Maintenance is typically scheduled annually, bi-annually, monthly or weekly.
• Emergency work where situations are observed which require immediate attention to prevent or resolve an emergency.

Facility

The public works facility also houses that water/sewer maintenance department as well as the kennel that houses stray animals that are found within the city.

The Johnston Public Works shop is located at 6400 NW Beaver Drive, on the city's east side.

Emergencies

In case of an emergency after regular office hours, call 515-278-0822 and follow the voice instructions. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Our department has several emergency voice mail boxes that will get prompt attention when there is an emergency. Please only leave messages on these mail boxes if it is a true emergency.

Billing Services

Click here to learn more about utility billing and services in Johnston.