It’s no coincidence that the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Office of Water Programs (OWP) are both celebrating 50th anniversaries in 2022. The CWA set the stage for the development of OWP’s robust training and research programs that serve many disciplines and communities in the water sector. OWP continues to expand and adapt to...

In 2010, the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) faced a daunting task—upgrading its wastewater treatment process to tertiary to meet new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements. That meant removing nearly all ammonia and nitrates from more than 100 millions of gallons of wastewater received every day. To meet the requirements,...

When an ad for San Diego tourism comes on, you’re guaranteed to see clips of people running on one of their world-famous beaches. Clips of people riding surfboards, paddling around in the Bay or a slow camera pan of sun-kissed water and a sandy beach. San Diego is a water wonderland, with “70 miles of...

On October 5, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills prohibiting PFAS in juvenile products (AB 652) and disposable food packaging (AB 1200). The two new laws are a part of a trend in PFAS regulation in both California and national food law compliance. The persistence, ubiquity, and uncertainty of the health effects of PFAS have...

On February 16th we hosted our second Diversity in California Water panel discussion. Two California water leaders shared lessons learned to support DEI efforts within their agencies. The agencies are members of the California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA). They have developed a DEI Toolkit for water and wastewater agencies to help support their diversity programs....

With a tweet on January 4th, the City of Oceanside officially announced its brand-new advanced water purification facility was operational. Kicking off 2022 with another large-scale water reuse facility serving California. The project, called Pure Water Oceanside, is the first AWTF to become operational in the San Diego region and will purify recycled water to...

Discover how leadership at two public sector water environment organizations can and has influenced innovation. In 2021 the essential services these organizations provide to help cities and society at large address both longstanding and more recent challenges became clearer.  This requires new thinking, new approaches, and new partnerships.  In arid, Southern California, water is too...

Learn to become a better leader, gain a supportive community of water professionals and mentors, sharpen your networking skills, and grow professionally. The Water Leadership Institute is looking for the next cohort to participate in this valuable blended learning program. The Water Leadership Institute program is aimed at educating, training, and providing opportunities that enable...

Patricia Macatugal is currently a second-year graduate student attending California State University, Long Beach to receive her Master’s in Water Resources Engineering. She received her Bachelor’s in Science for Civil Engineering at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Patricia started her engineering journey in a high school environmental science class which ultimately got her thinking about...

CWEA member and registered civil engineer Lois Fong-Sakai was formally introduced as a representative of the San Diego County Water Authority to Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors Tuesday. Fong-Sakai, who joined the SDCWA board in April 2015 as a representative of the City of San Diego, succeeds Jerry Butkiewicz, who served on Metropolitan’s board...