2020 William Hatfield Award
Jeff Peterson is the Director of Public Works for the City of Huxley and has worked for the City for 40 plus years. He helped design Huxley’s new well field and water treatment plant as well as the wastewater treatment plant and collection system.
He has previously served on the Kirkwood Community College Environmental Training Program advisory committee and currently serves in the same role in the DMACC 2 year program and Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) advisory committee. He has been a member of the Iowa Water Environmental Association (IAWEA) since 1984 and has served on multiple committees for both AWWA and IAWEA and is currently on the IAWEA Region 5 planning committee.
Jeff has received numerous awards, including the AWWA Fuller Award, Region V AWWA Operators Award for a Grade II Plant, and IAWEA’s Operator Advancement Achievement Award for a Grade II Wastewater Treatment Facility.
He started for the city by working part-time during the summer of 1978 and started full-time in 1980. During that time he worked two years as an operator, four years as a superintendent of both water and wastewater plant and distribution, and the past 35 years as the Director of Public Works.
In his spare time, he has acted as affidavit operator for the City of Elkhart, worked for a mobile home park water system in Ames, and was a member of the Huxley Volunteer Fire Department starting in 1986 until he officially retired from the department, as well as coaching his kids summer ball and soccer teams.
Jeff was instrumental in starting the Huxley Annual Water Workshop, which is now the Ankeny Annual Water Workshop and serves on the planning committee.
He possesses an Iowa Grade III Water Treatment and Grade IV Water Distribution licenses, as well as Grade III Wastewater Treatment license.