City of Los Angeles, Bureau Of Sanitation 15 yrs Environmental Engineer Apr 2017 – Present · 7 yrs Environmental Engineer Associate Jun 2008 – Present Wastewater conveyance and treatment planning, recycled water treatment and planning, stakeholder outreach, intern, and mentor. Education Master of Science (MSc), Civil Engineering 2013-2016 Bachelors of Science (BS) Engineering 2004-2008 California...

Jon Liberzon recently joined Black & Veatch as Emerging Markets Process Engineering lead. Previously, Jon was Vice President at Tomorrow Water, a technology-developer and solutions provider, where he helped launch new treatment technologies including novel BAF processes for advanced primary treatment, Thermal Hydrolysis, Flow-through AGS, and sidestream Annamox. Previously, he was director of water technologies...

Steve Rodriguez has dedicated his entire career to protecting public health and the environment working for Delta Diablo. His truly remarkable career is marked by achieving progressive operator certification levels, leading by example with a strong work ethic, serving as an extremely knowledgeable resource for his co-workers, and steadying Delta Diablo through challenging times. Steve...

More than 38 years of experience as a project manager, project professional and design manager for planning, design, and commissioning phase services for municipal and federal wastewater, reclamation, and industrial treatment facilities. Projects include over 30 wastewater treatment plants, numerous gravity sewers and force mains, and over 50 large pump stations from 1 MGD to...

Kevin Murphy worked for City of San Diego for 32 years, 22 of those years he has been in the wastewater dept. Kevin has a CSM Grade 4 cert. Kevin has been volunteering with CWEA since 2018 he is the current past president and SDS awards chair 2024

Ashley’s dedication, leadership, and unwavering commitment to serving the CWEA and its membership make her a true asset to the organization and a role model for aspiring water professionals. Her contributions have left a lasting impact on the Northern San Joaquin Section, ensuring its continued success for years to come.

Anir Bhagwat is a career wastewater professional and a big proponent of CWEA. He has been a member since 2006 over three different sections (SFBS, LABS, SCVS), and is now serving on the Board of the SCVS and also incoming as the NRC Chair (2024-26). Anir has worked in both the private sector and public...

Since joining CWEA’s Member Services Department in 2017, Meuy has become a cherished member of our organization. Members not only appreciate her exceptional service but have also grown to love her infectious enthusiasm. Beyond the office, Meuy’s passions are as diverse as her dedication. She navigates the world with flair in her beloved Tesla. Meuy’s...

In 2011, Merin joined the CWEA family. Her magic touched every corner, leaving an indelible mark on both the Certification Department and the Member Services Department. Merin has grown into the vibrant Senior Member Services Coordinator we know today. Her journey is a testament to passion, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to CWEA’s mission. Known...

Brief bio/project info: Eric Van Cleave is the Regional Sales Manager for Southern California with SmartCover. He has a degree in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Missouri. He started working for SmartCover in June 2017, and is currently the President for the CWEA San Diego Section

Jeff is an essential member of our committee, consistently providing support wherever needed. He actively engages in our TCP training and Vendor Fairs, bringing valuable knowledge of collection systems and best practices that greatly enhances the success of our group.

Kelvin has been with Pebble Beach Community Services District for over 28 years. He is devoted to his career and helping others begin or get a leg up on theirs. He is a strong proponent of the CWEA and the benefits of the professional connections made through the association.

Tom Edwards is the Pacific and Rockies Regional Manager for Duke’s and has been with the company for over 20 years. Tom manages the states of California and Nevada with oversight over the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions. He is a the corporate pesticide applicator trainer for Duke’s and regularly speaks at applicator training...

Rachél Lather – Current CWEA Member Rachél Lather is currently the collections Principal Engineer for the Carmel Area Wastewater District. She has been in the wastewater industry since 2001 and in the water industry between 1981-1984. • CWEA member since 2002 • President of MBS CWEA in 2015 • Inducted into the CWEA 5S in...

Shawn has 18+ years in the industry in the areas of wastewater collections water treatment (3yrs) and water distribution (8+). He has learned, performed and developed a vast and wide range of knowledge of skills and talents. Shawn began working in Collections since 2004 and has been a CWEA member as well. He has worked...

Scott Speigle, over 35 years with City of Oceanside, started in 1988 as a mechanic, moved over to operations in 1994 working his way up to CPO. Has been involved with 3 plant expansions and is one of the only guys left that knows where all the skeletons are buried.

Steve Sanchez El Toro Water District Collections Grade 3 and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Grade 3 In his career, Steve has unselfishly helped multiple young Collections workers obtain their Commercial Driver’s Licenses, Collections System Maintenance Grades, and Wastewater Plant Operator grades all on his own personal time. If there is an opportunity to help and...

I met Troy Mitchell when I was hired at Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant as an operator in 2015. Immediately you could tell that Troy was passionate about wastewater, specifically the microbiology that made up the activated sludge process. He was always encouraging operations staff to look under the microscope to become more familiar with...

Todd Hutchinson has made a career out of protecting the environment and improving quality of life within the service area of San Elijo Joint Powers Authority. Hutchinson reached the 25-year milestone this year. He is the agency’s longest-serving employee. In 1998, as a new, junior operator, Hutchinson took readings from analog meters and calculated daily...

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Nick Steiner is the Recycled Water Program Coordinator for Delta Diablo, where he oversees Delta Diablo’s robust recycled water program. Nick has his Bachelor of Science in Business Management and is a certified Grade V operator with over 18 years of experience operating wastewater, recycled water and biosolids facilities. Nick has been with Delta Diablo...

Richard Stiffler, the Technical Services Supervisor for the City of Stockton, has showcased unwavering commitment and expertise in the California wastewater industry for 41 years. Starting as a Plant Operator-in-Training in Stockton on September 20, 1982, Richard rapidly advanced to become a Plant Operator and Senior Plant Operator. Recognized for exceptional abilities, he voluntarily transferred...

Coral Taylor has 22 years of experience in water distribution and treatment, wastewater collection and treatment, master planning, utility operations, permitting, and project management. Her experience also includes research in sustainability and novel water treatment technologies. Coral currently works for Carollo Engineers, whose motto is “Working Wonders with Water”(R). For more than 90 years, Carollo...

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Born and raised in Escondido for over 62 years. Raul is happily married with 2 step sons and a daughter. Raul started his career with the City over 22 years ago in the Public Works Department. It was a matter of fate and a true calling for Raul. Upon initially being hired by the City...

Chris Biles started with the City in 2017 as a plant mechanic I have had the opportunity to work alongside Chris as an operator myself, and it has been a joy to watch Chris develop from a basic mechanic to a thorough efficient mechanic that he’s developed into today. Chris is a very valuable employee...

Ruby Dela Cruz has a 22 year record of outstanding public service for the City of San Diego, with nearly all that time spent in the field of Instrumentation and Control.

Inland Empire Utilities Agency, formed in 1950, is a municipal water district located in western San Bernardino County, California. IEUA’s mission is to supply imported drinking water, collect and treat wastewater, produce beneficially reusable compost, and high-quality recycled water to the 850,000 residents living within its 242-square mile service area. Javier Medrano, Mechanic IV and...

The Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant (LWRP) serves a population of approximately 160,000 people. LNWRP treats up to 18 million gallons of wastewater per day. The reclaimed water is used for landscape and agricultural irrigation. In addition, reclaimed water is used to maintain water levels in Apollo Lakes Regional Park and Piute Ponds. LWRP is committed...

Valley Sanitary District is located in Indio Ca. We have a population of 90,500. Our daily flow is 6 MGD. We have four lift stations that serve the low areas of the service district.

Alice Wang is an Assistant Project Manager at HDR who has 7 years of diverse experience spanning in both public and private water sectors, with responsibilities including water quality evaluations, water and wastewater treatment design projects, master plans, condition assessments, asset management, and program management. In addition to being a project manager, she also is...

Amidst a severe drought gripping much of the western United States, the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (Districts) are working with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California through the Pure Water Southern California (PWSC) program to address water scarcity challenges. The Districts have been recycling water since 1962, and now they aim to increase...

Although the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts have vibrant outreach and education programs, we wanted to increase engagement with our neighboring communities. The Districts identified barriers to increased engagement at its Bixby Marshland that included limited awareness, limited access, and the need for additional activities. Awareness was boosted through diverse communication channels, including social media...

CVSan is a small public agency organized under the Health and Safety Code of the State of California. As a California Special District, CVSan is responsible for operating and maintaining the sanitary sewer collection system within the unincorporated community of Castro Valley. CVSan is also in charge of the administration of a refuse collection franchise,...

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is a public health agency that serves two million residents. The County organized the first coalition in the state of California to analyze COVID in wastewater to inform local government health decision-making. This was a coalition of 4 wastewater agencies and academic partners. This allowed experts and...

The Valley Sanitary District (VSD), in conjunction with the Coachella Valley History Museum (CVHM), located in Indio, CA, developed and constructed an exhibit consisting of a series of models demonstrating various types of wastewater treatment processes. The Evolution of Wastewater Treatment in the Coachella Valley exhibit showcases the history of wastewater, from outhouses and septic...

VVWRA is a resource recovery facility that provides wastewater treatment services for Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville, Spring Valley Lake, and Oro Grande recycling more than 5 million gallons of water every day. In addition, VVWRA creates high-nutrient soil amendments and is converting methane into renewable natural gas (RNG).

Selma Kingsburg Fowler County Sanitation District: The district preventive maintenance program requires staff to clean the entire collection system on a bi-annual basis, the district is responsible for sewer service laterals within the public right of way (Lower laterals). The district also partners with each of the member cities paving projects the partnership is a...

Jason Finn is an Industrial Waste Inspector with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Medical Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from CSU Long Beach and has been working for the Sanitation Districts since 2002. He takes pride in leading challenging investigations, pretreatment inspections, and mentoring newer inspectors. Jason’s...

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Meet Kevin, a seasoned professional with over 25 years of dedicated service in the water/wastewater industry. As a vendor representative for Municipal Maintenance Equipment (MME). Kevin’s commitment extends to community involvement, where he contributes to the San Francisco Bay and Santa Clara Valley Collection System committees. Kevin’s dedication goes beyond the boardroom; he’s known for...

Louis is currently the Vice-Chair for the San Francisco Bay Local Section Committee. Louis is a valued member in assisting with training seminars that allows our Collection System members to further their education and field knowledge.

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With a professional career spanning over 13 years, Loren Roberts joined the Southern Section Collection Systems Committee in 2020 and has held the Committee Chair position since then. In her role as a VP of Sales & Marketing at Downstream Services, Inc., Loren has been instrumental in developing and implementing innovative stormwater and wastewater solutions...

Casey had decades of experience as a mechanic prior to coming on board with the District in 2019 as Fleet Mechanic II. The District is very fortunate to have Casey with his broad knowledge and experience. Although an excellent fleet mechanic for all light to heavy construction equipment, he is equally as amazing at inspection,...

Shawn Spromberg’s experience expands for 18 + years working in the industry in the areas of Wastewater Collections Water Treatment and Water Distribution. He has learned, performed and developed a vast and wide range of knowledge skills and talents in many different areas from all facets of Wastewater Collections in addition to Water Treatment, Water...

Daryl Lauer has been working in the water/wastewater industry since 2001. During that time he worked for Carmel Area Wastewater District (CAWD) and joined CWEA. He attended conferences and trainings in order to be able to provide the best collections maintenance services for the public agency. Since his beginnings as a maintenance worker he has...

Today, the Soscol Water Recycling Facility is a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment and recycling plant. All treatment operations were consolidated at this plant during the late 1990’s, and the former treatment facilities at the Imola plant were demolished. Wastewater that enters the Soscol Water Recycling Facility from the City of Napa and surrounding unincorporated areas goes...

•AMY OMAE Joined HDR in 2007 o Wastewater Market Sector Lead • Professor at Santiago Canyon College since 2018 o Teaching a course in Water Reclamation and Reuse • Member of SARBS and CWEA since 2011 • Joined SARBS Board in 2017 o First-Year Director in 2017-2018 o Corporate Director in 2018-2020 o Vice President...

Alice Wang and HDR have been a part of CWEA and SARBS chapter for quite some time. Alice has been with HDR since 2017 and CWEA in various roles and capacities. She began volunteering and participating with SARBS during the Covid period where CWEA and SARBS were deeply involved in asssiting our members with resources...

Born in Morocco, Latif has lived all over the world. Spending time in cities like Paris, France and Boston. He worked in a variety of different jobs before finding his passion for wastewater. In 2010 Latif volunteered as an unpaid intern for Victor Valley Wastewater. He moved from an unpaid intern into the Environmental Compliance...

Marjorie Del Toro is a seasoned industry leader who has contributed to the industry in many ways. Marjorie has over 26 years of experience working in the water, wastewater, construction, and worker safety industry. She has volunteered for SARBS for well over 23 years and served as president for FY 2012/13. Currently, Marjorie serves on...

Jurupa Community Services District takes pride in its management of the collections system, exemplified by our unwavering commitment to excellence. Through proactive maintenance, regular inspections, and industry-leading strategies, we ensure the efficient and reliable operation of our wastewater collection infrastructure. With a team of certified professionals and a continuous investment in cutting-edge technologies and training,...

Kent is the Assistant Deputy Director for the City of San Diego’s Public Utility Department’s Wastewater Collection Division. Kent coordinates activities, including developing, implementing, and maintaining a comprehensive and responsive, predictive, preventive, and corrective maintenance program for the City’s assets and infrastructure. Kent has over 40 years in Maintenance, Operations and Asset Management, including the...

Andy has more than fifteen years of experience in the collections industry. He has risen through the ranks and established himself as a dependable leader for Big Bear CSD during that time. He has volunteered in the following positions during his tenure. Wastewater Collections Co-Chair – Volunteer Tri-State Seminar Vice Chair – Volunteer CWEA Southern...

With a decade-long tenure at LWD, Hugo has proven to be a dedicated and proactive Field Service Technician 3. Deeply familiar with the intricacies of the district’s collection system, he identifies critical areas that need extra care. This proactive approach enhances daily operations, as he seeks solutions that align with LWD’s commitment to environmental conservation...

Steve Sanchez El Toro Water District Collections Maintenance Grade 3 Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Grade 3

The Los Osos Water Recycling Facility is operated by San Luis Obispo County. It is designed to solve a Level III water resource shortage and groundwater pollution in a sustainable and cost-effective manner. The facility capacity is 1.11 million gallons per day (mgd), and is operated by Mr. Loveridge, Grade IV Operator and four operators....

Located in Elk Grove, CA, the EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility provides tertiary treatment with granular media filtration for approximately 1.6 million customers and treats an average of 135 million gallons per day. The EchoWater Facility recently completed a decade-long $1.7 billion expansion making it the second largest treatment plant of its kind in the nation....

Jung Park, better known as JP, is a dedicated, charismatic and loyal Laboratory Manager for the City of Redlands. JP started his career in Redlands in 2013 as a Lab Technician 1. Fast forward 10 years, JP is now a successful Laboratory Manager. Winning Supervisor of the Year in 2023, obtaining his Grade 4 Analyst...

The Wastewater Collection Division is highly confident performing O&M on its collection system and is committed to driving both efficiency and innovation in the management of wastewater projects. In addition the division excels at in-house or projects, which significantly impact both crew morale and the division’s fiscal responsibility. • A demolition project for five out-of-service...

Heidi Birdsell is an Environmental Chemist II at Dublin San Ramon Services District. She has 6 years of wastewater experience and holds a CWEA Laboratory Analyst Grade IV certificate. Heidi has over 17 years of experience working in analytical labs. Her experience spans a wide variety of methods which include wet chemistry, microbiology, and the...

Actively engaging in communities through work and service, Andrea Solis seeks to understand and interact with the human landscape and our changing world through engineering. Solis started taking pictures in high school and incorporated the hobby in many aspects of her life to learn about the people and landscapes around her. Currently, Solis works as...

Nahum Padilla started as Collections Trainee at the Coachella Valley Water District in 2006. Since then Nahum has gained the necessary knowledge and experience working in the field to eventually become the Collection Systems Supervisor for CVWD in 2022. His dedication to volunteering and helping fellow local member achieve their certifications has allowed him to...

As a CWEA Board member, Dianne’s gift was to see the marketing potential for all actions the board considered. Her sense of how members would view information is instinctual. She is truly gifted. Dianne has a heart for CWEA.

Javier “Pancho” Villarreal a dedicated mentor whose lifelong dedication to serving as a sewer industry professional and in the Army Reserve. Pancho has over twenty years of dedicated volunteer work in CORBS and Tris-State ensuring our local members were provided with quality support in certification and training needs. Retired from the Coachella Valley Water District...

Travis Fisher is a Senior Collections Inspector with the Ojai Valley Sanitary District in Ventura County. He currently holds a CWEA Collection Grade 3, a bachelor’s degree from Antioch University and Travis spent 4 years in the U.S. Navy as a Hull Maintenance Technician

Mary has been in the Water and Wastewater field over 20 years, her earlier experience being at the City of Ventura’s and the City of Santa Barbara’s Laboratories. Mary’s earlier experience in the laboratory included everything from analyzing metals via atomic absorption to determining coliform bacteria counts. Mary’s current job functions include overseeing the City...

Stephanie has developed a range of experience and skills in the water/wastewater engineering field. She has been involved in the design and preparation of plans and specifications, permitting, construction administration, and construction observation for projects such as water, recycled water and sewer main replacements, tank rehabilitation, water treatment facilities, pumping facilities, and supply wells. She...

Aren Hansen grew up in Arcata, CA and became interested in water at a young age while taking family walks and bird watching at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, which he found out later was one of the first major natural wastewater treatment systems implemented in the US. Aren’s educational background includes a B.S./M.S....

Felix has served over 25 plus years in the wastewater industry and has been a respected leader in the field. He has been heavily involved in training for CORBS/CWEA. He has been a teacher and mentor for students in Imperial County for over 10 plus years by teaching wastewater courses at the Imperial Valley College.

Aaron Guydosh is a Mechanical Systems Technician I. With over a decade of mechanical experience, Aaron has experience in inspections, operations, preventative maintenance, and repairing of electric motors, pump panels, engines, compressors, and valves. He was hired into the Asset Reliability Department in July 2022 and is a volunteer member of Jurupa Community Services District’s...

Rudy Soria is a Water Utility Technician III at Jurupa Community Services District, responsible for monitoring and reporting the conditions of JCSD’s sewer system with CCTV equipment and maintaining lift stations. Rudy’s innovative solutions and over twenty years of experience are pivotal in JCSD’s preventative maintenance programs. Rudy successfully invented a gauge attachment used in...

Training: Semi-Pro Category Central San’s Operator Training Program features a library of training videos, created to aid the skills and development of new operators. This Headworks Screening Removal System video was produced to provide an operational overview to the newly upgraded Headworks system.

Public Education: Professional Disappearing Act tells the story of Mateo and his friend Toot the Toilet. Mateo is a young magician who becomes increasingly consumed with his perceived power to make anything disappear down the drain.

Marcos Tarazon has served over many years as a respected leader in the Sanitation field. He has been heavily involved in training at CORBS. He has been a teacher and mentor for students in Imperial County by teaching Wastewater & Collection courses at the Imperial Valley College.

The San Bernardino Municipal Water Department (SBMWD) owns, operates, and maintains a regional Water Reclamation Plant (WRP). The WRP generates a fuel source, digester gas (DG), or biogas as a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process that the facility beneficially uses to power equipment. Driven by regulatory changes, environmental benefits, and cost efficiency, SBMWD initiated...

Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD) is a public agency providing water, wastewater services, recycled water, hydroelectricity, and the operation of Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve. OMWD is a municipal water district organized and operating pursuant to Water Code Sections 71000 et seq., and was incorporated on April 9, 1959, to develop an adequate water supply for...

Miles is the Collections Crew Chief at the Santa Margarita Water District. He is skilled, innovative, hard-working and empathetic. He is positive and helpful, and has integrated innovation and technology into the collection system to improve efficiency and to reduce risks.

Aaron has proven himself time and time again that he is reliable, honest, and puts others above himself. He builds high team morale and has done his best to keep our lab on track with the TNI implementation deadlines. He has been a part of high staff turnovers and yet has remain solid and encouraging...

Robert Wilson has devoted his career to clean water. He has been an environmental compliance inspector, Environmental Services Supervisor, Laboratory Supervisor, and a faculty member at the Santa Rosa Junior College where he teaches wastewater treatment courses. Robert currently supervises eleven staff and is the technical manager for the Laguna Environmental Laboratory. In this role...

Jennifer Kaiser is the Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District’s Public Information Officer (PIO) and leads the District’s various outreach programs and in many ways is the face of the District for the citizens of Vallejo. As PIO, she interacts with a variety of different groups, ranging from the Board of Trustees, local environmental groups, citizens...

Tyree has sixteen years of wastewater experience – ten years at a supervisory and management level. He has participated in, and/or facilitated, numerous trainings, workshops, and peer reviews/site-visits – many of which were through CWEA – centered around wastewater collection system O&M, safety, and regulatory compliance. He has also served as a professional mentor to...

Roya is an Engineering Manager at Black & Veatch. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in chemical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering. She’s a water reuse enthusiast and since joining the industry in 2014, has worked on the planning, design, and construction of several wastewater and recycled water treatment plants. She was SF...

Truckee Sanitary District (TSD) is the public agency responsible for the collection of wastewater in the greater Truckee area. Formed in 1906, TSD’s mission is to protect the public health and environment while providing its customers the highest level of service consistent with the prudent management of public funds. Located near Lake Tahoe, in mountainous...

Edward graduated from Fresno State University in 1980 with a BS in Civil Engineering. He has been a CA registered professional civil engineer since 1984. His work experience began with the Federal government, working for the US Bureau of Reclamation and the US Army Corps of Engineers. his wastewater experience was gained starting in 1994...

Frank Casey began working in the wastewater field in 1995. During his 27 years at ISD, Frank has filled many roles. He has worked on emergency mitigation projects, served as lead supervisor during many sewer pipe and pump repairs, trained personnel when necessary, and even worked hay fields on the island ISD owns for its...

Mission Springs Water District has one simple mission: Provide, protect, and preserve our mos t valuable resource… water. The “Protect Your Pipes: FOGs and Flushable Wipe Campaign” primary goals included: 1) Educating customers on the impacts these items have on our system and their home plumbing 2) An understanding that so-called flushable wipes are not...

Kent is the Assistant Deputy Director for the City of San Diego’s Public Utility Department’s Wastewater Collection Division (WCD). Kent leads activities of developing, implementing, and maintaining a comprehensive and responsive, predictive, preventive, and corrective maintenance program for WCD’s infrastructure. Kent has worked over 40 years in Maintenance, Operations and Asset Management, including the US...

I have been an active member of CWEA since 1997, participating in local section leadership and providing training at meetings and conferences. I appreciate the peer to peer training and professional development CWEA provides for its members. My career in wastewater began long before I was hired at a wastewater treatment plant in 1997. I...

Ventura Water embarked on its “Droughtreach” campaign in response to the Emergency Orders adopted by the SWRCB in May 2022. The Ventura Water Team lead by Stephen Glenn with Grant White and Susie Birch encouraged voluntary water use reduction to meet and exceed the 20% mark. Using social media, bill inserts, Public Meetings, Videos, newsletters,...

Kristopher McGinnis is an Environemtal Scientist with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Cal Poly Pomona University and has been working for the Sanitation Districts since 2013. His work currently focuses on writing industrial wastewater discharge permits, as well as working on special projects. Some of his...

City of Oceanside’s Water Utilities Department continues to set standards of excellence with regard to providing quality services cost effectively, protecting the environment above and beyond requirements, and staying at the forefront of advances in industry technology. SLR WRF, it’s flagship treatment plant, embodies these three aspects as it serves the City of Oceanside.

Like many other jurisdictions in California, the City of Oxnard is interested in evaluating the feasibility of co-digesting food waste at their wastewater treatment plant in an effort to maximize biogas production and meet the landfill diversion and greenhouse gas reduction requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 1383. For this purpose, the City applied for and...

The Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) is a public resource recovery facility that provides effective wastewater collection, treatment, disposal, and recycling services for 2.6 million people in central and northwest Orange County. OC San’s service area consist of 20 cities, 4 special districts, and the unincorporated areas of the County of Orange. OC San...

City of Santa Cruz Wastewater Collection/Flood Control Manager Rome Norman has served the California wastewater industry for 33 years with passion and commitment to improving community quality-of-life and protection of the environment. Rome’s duties include budget management for the entire Collections/Flood Control division and management of the vehicle replacement program. Additionally, he became the “on-call”...

Akin Babatola has served the California wastewater industry for 30 years with passion and commitment to protection of the environment and improving community quality-of-life. His wastewater industry career began in the City of San Jose’s Environmental Services Department in 1992 as Microbiologist, and in 1993 when he was hired as Research Microbiologist for the same...

Michael Wilson grew up in small towns in Nova Scotia, Canada. His education includes a Highschool diploma from J.L. Ilsley and a 2 year intensive course for Marine Engineer Technicians with the Canadian Navy. Michael started his maintenance career at 18 when he joined the Canadian Navy as a Marine Engineer Technician and was posted...

The Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District serves more than 135,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in central Solano County. We own and operate a system of sanitary sewers and pumping stations, wastewater collection and treatment, water recycling and stormwater management services. Our treatment plant occupies about 150 acres and our dry weather design capacity is 23.7 MGD...

The Health and Safety of our employees is a fundamental value at Veolia. Our employees are our primary wealth and asset, and taking care of our employees and sustainably preserving the health and safety of each of them while protecting our customers and the communities we serve, is our top priority.

As the Senior Pump and Motor Technician for the Vallecitos Water District, Dale provides excellent oversight and hands on maintenance and support to all maintenance operations of the District’s systems. His duties encompasses the maintenance of the District’s water and wastewater facilities, which includes 28 pressure reducing stations,10 water pump stations, 4 flow regulating facilities,...

The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (Sanitation Districts) help provide quality math and science education to students with the intent of welcoming all to our profession. During the pandemic, many of the educators we work with expressed concerns related to the impact of virtual lessons on tactile learners. Since it is our core mission to...

The Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA/Agency) is an innovative, forward-thinking Agency serving 242-square miles in western San Bernardino County. The Agency promotes greater water supply reliability through its significant contributions to a diversified regional water supply portfolio, including water from stormwater capture, recycling and reuse, and imported water supplies. Additionally, the Agency provides reliable municipal/industrial...

Cleveland spent the majority of his life in Southern California. He played basketball for the USC Trojans for a three-year tenure until joining the Kansas City Royals baseball team in 1979-81. Cleveland currently has an acting credit to his name as playing a “Sleestak” in the children’s adventure television series “Land of the Lost”. Proceeding...

I have 18 years in the industry and have been with The City of Oceanside for 14 years. My Current position is Operational Supervisor for SLR WRRF and SDS CWEA Local President. I am also an adjunct professor at Palomar College, taught Pumps & Motors and teaching Wastewater Treatment. I have a Grade V Wastewater,...

I’ve been in the wastewater industry in California for over 16 years working in municipal product sales. For the past 4 years I’ve worked as a Pipeline inspection sales rep for Jack Doheny company as an IBAK product specialist. I love what I do and being in the field with collections systems operators from all...

Jamie Johnson is a Water Resource Control Engineer with the State Water Resources Control Board, Office of Enforcement where her work ranges from collection system inspections to economic benefit analysis to operator investigations. Jamie earned her Civil Engineering degree from California State University, Sacramento where she graduated Cum Laude and was a member of Tau...

With over two decades of construction experience, I serve as the Wastewater Supervisor for the City of Sunnyvale. Holding certifications as a Collections Grade 4 and Distribution D2, I specialize as a Cross Connection Specialist. Additionally, I have chaired the Santa Clara Valley CWEA Collections Committee in the past and currently will assume the role...

Roy Reynolds has 30 years of experience in the wastewater field, covering both Collection Systems and Plant Maintenance. The last 19 years he has been a Maintenance Supervisor at Orange County Sanitation District in Southern California. He served in the U.S. Navy, assigned to the Seabees stationed in San Diego before the Battalion moved to...

Steve Cano began his career in 2002 while cross training with the Sewer Department at the City of Montclair. After obtaining his CWEA certifications in Collections and Environmental, pesticide license, and backflow license he was promoted to Environmental Control Specialist, lead man of the Sewer Department. In 2010, Steve furthered his career by accepting a...

Shawn has over 18 years of experience working in the water and waster sector. He has Worked in Wastewater Collections. Water Treatment, and Water Distribution. In each of these roles, he has taken the opportunity to engage with his community and has made it a personal mission to educate and train the future leaders of...

Manuel Dos Santos has dedicated his career to protecting public health, the environment, and his community by providing high-quality wastewater collection and treatment services in a safe, reliable, and effective manner. His career spans over 34 years working in the water and wastewater industry, including 27 years at South San Francisco – San Bruno Water...

Established on May 27, 1899 – Ross Valley Sanitary District (The District) is one of California’s oldest district’s with approximately 60% of the District’s collection system was installed prior to 1955. The District is located in Marin County and serves the towns of Fairfax, San Anselmo, Ross, Larkspur, Bon Air, Sleepy Hollow, Kentfield, Kent Woodlands,...

Jennifer Kaiser is the Public Information Officer at Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District, a role that includes media relations, writing, graphic design, managing education programs for 3rd graders through college students, website oversight. She organizes Vallejo’s Coastal Cleanup Day, with over 20 different sites and 600-800 volunteers, and coordinates the Vallejo Watershed Alliance, a community-based...

Adel Hagekhalil is general manager and chief executive officer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest wholesale drinking water agency in the country. Metropolitan is a state-established cooperative that delivers water to 26 member public agencies, serving 19 million people across Southern California.

Kevin is an Environmental Compliance Inspector Grade 3 for the City of Turlock. Kevin is dedicated to his job and CWEA. Kevin has been on the Northern San Joaquin Section Board of Directors from 2017-2021.

Shawn has worked for Union Sanitary District almost 27 years and has been an active member of CWEA for about the same. Currently Shawn is a Supervisor in the Collections Department were he over sees the day to day operations of the construction and facilities maintenance groups. He has volunteered on many occasions with CWEA...

Ms. Bhadra has lived and worked in India, Australia, Singapore, and US (New York, California, North Carolina) and has a broad and unique perspective about the water related issues and solutions from around the globe. With more than two decades of experience in effective design, construction, and operation of water, wastewater, ultra-pure, and recycled water...

Jeff Tucker comes from a leadership philosophy that believes there are many ways to support others to achieve organizational goals – sometimes coaching, sometimes helping align resources to objectives, and sometimes just “getting out of the way” to let someone run ahead and succeed. Jeff knows when to lead, when to support, and when to...

Started with the Carpinteria Sanitary District in October 1988 as an OIT. Progressed to a grade 3 operator in 1992. Became the treatment supervisor in 1995 after district reorganization and a major plant upgrade. Working in operations primarily, laboratory duties on the weekend and collection system on call. Along with other certification I possess a...

Kaitie is an engineering manager at Black and Veatch. She graduated from UC Irvine in 2011 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. She has been at Black & Veatch for nearly 10 years and has worked on the design and construction for various recycled water treatment plants (Title 22 for irrigation and IPR), wastewater...

VVWRA E & I Technicians Derek Evans and Adalberto Arteaga calibrate a level transmitter at a recycled water pond.

I am a Supervising Industrial Waste Inspector for L.A. County Sanitation Districts, responsible for overseeing a team of inspectors performing pretreatment-compliance inspections of industrial users. I’ve been with LACSD for 33 years, working in the water-quality laboratory; collection-systems section, implementing sewer-corrosion and sulfide-control programs; treatment-plant monitoring; wastewater reuse; and biosolids management. I have had certification...

Susan Hiestand has dedicated 25 years to protecting the environment, leading pollution prevention efforts in the wastewater, hazardous waste and stormwater fields. In 2011, she joined Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) and brought with her a desire to lead and educate the community about water quality, pollution prevention and sustainability. By focusing her efforts on...

Ron Marincic Utility System Superintendent & LRO City of Santa Rosa Ca. I currently possess a Grade V Water Distribution Certificate issued by the State of California Water Resources Control Board, a Grade II Water Treatment Certificate issued by the State of California Water Resources Control Board and a Grade IV Collection System Certificate issued...

Kelvin has put his blood sweat and tears into the district for the last 26 years. He is a great person to work with. He is always willing to help and share his 26 years of experience with his coworkers. You can always count on Kelvin to be there and help in emergency situations, no...

John Del Fante is the Deputy Director of Utilities/Wastewater for the City of Escondido. John started working at the City’s Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility as a temporary Operator-In-Training in December of 1990. In July of 1992, he became a full-time Operator-In-Training. Realizing this was a good and beneficial career, John took Wastewater classes at...

Doug started with the Resort Improvement District in Shelter Cove, California on December 5, 1995 as an Operator in Training and after he earned a Grade II Wastewater Treatment certification he became a Supervisor, After 6 years as a supervisor Doug earned his Grade III certification and became the CPO for the small Victorian town...

Mike Hoffman has spent the bulk of his career at Irvine Ranch Water District. He has worked as a CCTV Senior Technician and Acting Supervisor after proving his worth as a Jack of all Trades! Mike is passionate about his job. He is an excellent multi-tasker and a very competent employee. Mike is highly respected...

Shawn has worked for Union Sanitary District almost 27 years and has been an active member of CWEA for about the same. Currently Shawn is a Supervisor in the Collections Department were he over sees the day to day operations of the construction and facilities maintenance groups. He has volunteered on many occasions with CWEA...

Henry Solis has worked for IRWD for over 20 years. He currently serves as one of two Supervisors in the Collection Systems Maintenance Department. This system won first place as Collection System of the Year award for the large category. This is in large part due to Henry’s constant vigilance in pursuing preventive maintenance excellence....

David began working for Dana Point Sanitary back in 1979. His primary functions were cleaning sewer lines with the Vactor or Rodder and checking the problem areas manholes and four lift stations. In 1999, Dana Point Sanitary, Capistrano Beach Sanitary, and South Coast merged to become South Coast Water District. David was made a Lead...

Maria Rosales-Ramirez is a Senior Engineer in the Public Information Office of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and a Board Certified Civil Environmental Engineer with State of California. After her post-graduate work, Maria joined the Sanitation Districts in its Solid Waste Management Department, focusing on landfill gas research and, later on, landfill disposal capacity...

The project (Connecting with Our Community During COVID-19) recognizes that especially during a pandemic, sanitation agencies must communicate timely and accurate information in ways that are factual, science-based, and clear to the communities we serve. Our project uses new partnerships and new approaches to provide such communications. Over the past 20 months, these new approaches...

Brian is a CWEA Grade IV Mechanical Technologist and has been with Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) for 12 years. Brian supports the treatment plant and four pump stations. He is an excellent pipe fitter, welder and fabricator as well as a tremendous troubleshooter. With this skill, Brian has taken on the additional responsibility to...

Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San) is celebrating 75 years of protecting public health and the environment with the launch of its 75th Anniversary Experience: centralsan.org/75th The virtual experience features an interactive 360-degree tour of Central San’s treatment plant and other facilities, videos, photo galleries, historical facts, drone flyovers, and a learning hub with...

Eromosele Esoimeme is a great employee for the Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA). His understanding and engagement of the Pretreatment regulatory guidelines provide an immeasurable resource to CMSA staff. His approachable outreach and enforcement style fosters an environment of regulatory engagement and education in pollution prevention and stormwater programs. Eromosele’s contribution to the P3S community...

VWD began creating videos to document the District’s workforce and infrastructure improvements on social media platforms, the District’s website and its Youtube channel. The “Work We Do” videos give the public an opportunity to see crews in action providing our community with reliable drinking water and wastewater services, protecting the environment, raising up the next...

Joshua started his career off in the Navy. His duties while serving in the Navy were operation and maintenance of nuclear reactors on both submarines and aircraft carriers. After finishing his time in the Navy he took a job at Tesla as a maintenance technician inside of the stamping department. After leaving Tesla Joshua took...

Sara Burke is currently the Plant Chemist of the Oro Loma Sanitary District where she has been responsible for the management and planning of the wastewater lab since June of 2009. Sara joined CWEA in the fall of 2003 when she first got into the wastewater analysis line of work, and she has been a...

The Carriage Crest Stormwater Capture Project utilizes an innovative stormwater capture and diversion facility that was funded through a Cooperative Implementation Agreement between the City of Carson and CalTrans with additional funding from LA County Public Works. The project innovatively integrates stormwater and wastewater systems, taking advantage of off-peak capacity in existing wastewater infrastructure. A...

Sami Hunkler, P.E. is a Civil Engineer for Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. She has been in the Civil and Mechanical Design section for 3.5 years. Sami has a B.S. and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the Past Chair of the Students and Young Professionals Committee...

The Inland Empire Regional Composting Facility is the largest fully enclosed composting facility in the United States processing over 200,000 tons/year of biosolids and greenwaste. The facility was created as a partnership between Inland Empire Utilities Agency and the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts to manage biosolids locally. It is operated by IEUA but the...

Ernest “Ernie” Mungarro has been a part of the Coachella Valley Water District Collection Systems Team for a year. During this time period Ernie has been a beacon of innovation. Often thinking outside the box, he finds ways to complete tasks effectively; working smarter not harder. Ernie is currently in the process of starting his...

Tiffany Ishaya Santa Clara Valley Section (SCVS) Tiffany is the Senior Laboratory Analyst at Silicon Valley Clean Water in Redwood City where she has 6 years of experience in the laboratory. She has a CWEA Laboratory Analyst Grade III certification and has been an enthusiastic member of the SCVS CWEA Board for the past two...

CMSA operates a water resource recovery facility in Marin County which, during dry weather, treats and disposes a daily average of 8 million gallons of wastewater as clean effluent into the San Francisco Bay, consistently meeting and exceeding federal and state regulatory requirements. During the rainy season, the amount received can jump to over 100...

Energy consumption and biosolids management are major operating expenses for municipal wastewater treatment plants. Energy-positive anaerobic secondary treatment was demonstrated by Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW), Stanford University and others. With funding from the California Energy Commission, SVCW built a demonstration-scale Staged Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Membrane Bioreactor (SAF-MBR) processing 24,000 gpd to test the potential...

At OC San, we are committed to providing a safe work environment for all employees, contractors, and visitors. We demonstrate leadership, promote individual accountability, and participate actively in the advancement of our health and safety practices. We are committed to continual improvement and conduct regular reviews of our safety and health management system to ensure...

Heath Cortez has been a dedicated West Bay Sanitary District employee since 2005 when he was hired as a Maintenance worker. In 2007 he was promoted to Rehab Supervisor and he held this position for the next 10 years. During his time as Rehab Supervisor he and his crew performed 90 open trench repairs and...

The Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility (HARRF) is the City of Escondido’s wastewater treatment facility. The HARRF is an 18 MGD Class IV activated sludge, secondary treatment facility with tertiary treatment for 9 MGD. The City operates the HARRF for the benefit of the Cities of Escondido and the Rancho Bernardo area of the City...

We strive to work as a team and to accomplish our mission statement which is: “To operate a first class treatment plant that meets or exceeds all regulatory standards, produces a high quality effluent and excels with top notch team work.” We endeavor to protect the environment by producing the highest quality effluent possible. We...

Leucadia Wastewater District’s mission is to serve the public by collecting, transporting, recycling and treating wastewater in a safe, reliable, efficient, cost effective and environmentally responsible manner, while providing excellent service to our customers.

Roseville is focused on their preventative maintenance programs to eliminate sewer backups and overflows, increase the lifespan of their infrastructure, and bring high-quality service to the residents of the city. Roseville operates three Hydro-Vacs, cleaning an average of 300 miles annually. They verify PM results, and identify improvement opportunities using CCTV. In addition, hot spots...

Kelvin has been a committed employee for the last 26 years at PBCSD. He is a great person to work with. He has a great attitude, very smart and always willing to help people. His heart is always there and willing to give people the best advice he can. He is a wonderful family man...

Santa Ana is truly committed to supporting their wastewater collections team. They have invested into safety programs (SOPs, Confined space vehicles, equipment and training) but also in house lateral pipe bursting and lining replacement programs as well. From their Sewer Collections cleaning and inspection staff to their lift station and construction crews all the way...

Bryan Trussell has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Trussell is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California with more than sixteen years of work experience. Bryan began his career by working 9 years with LA Sanitation,...

Alan started with Encina Wastewater Authority February 14th, 1994 in maintenance as the groundskeeper. He quickly became interested in becoming an operator and started taking classes. Alan earned two A.A degree’s and his Grade III in a short period of time. Alan’s enthusiasm for wastewater and eagerness to learn helped him excel as an operator,...

Irek started with Encina Wastewater Authority May 9th, 1995 as an Operator in Training. He quickly became interested in becoming an operator and started taking classes. Irek earned two A.A degree’s and his Grade IV in a brief period of time. Irek’s enthusiasm for wastewater and eagerness to learn helped him excel as an operator....

Gilbert has 17 years in maintenance with a background in Industrial Maintenance. He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Management, an MSML, and an MBA. He holds a Mech Tech Grade IV, Water Distribution/Treatment licenses, certs in Vibration, Oil, Project Management, and CMRP. Gilbert is part of the Emergency Medical Team, a Union Shop Steward, and...

There are no funny stories. Just ask his supervisors, he’s a model operator. That Turkey thing was a complete fabrication.

Charles has been highly engaged with professional associations locally and nationally throughout his career; including authoring automation publications for WEF and AWWA, conducting over 35 technical presentations, webinars and workshops which helped train other professionals. Charles has been recognized multiple times for his contributions to the Water Environment Federation, American Water Works Association, International Society...

Efrem Rodriguez began his career in 1991 with South Coast Water District Coastal Treatment Plant and served as a Certified Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator. In 2003, Efrem became the Senior Lift Station Mechanic in the Sanitary Operations Department and is now currently the Collection System Supervisor. Efrem holds a Grade IV Collections System Operator, a...

The Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater is a wastewater facility tucked in the San Bernardino Mountain and serves the entire Valley. The staff works diligently to ensure a safe environment for both staff and visitors.

The Olivenahin Municipal Water District’s 4S Water Reclamation Facility is extremely proud and honored to recieve the CWEA’s Plant of the Year Small Category. We appreciate all the efforts that CWEA puts forth within the wastewater world and believe that we are benefit from the dedicated professionals within the industry. Thank you so much!!!

The Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) leads and participates in the Wastewater Treatment Agencies of Marin County (WTAMC) Public Education program. The objective of this program is to inform the public about pollutant minimization and reducing pollutants of concern to the wastewater treatment plants, stormwater system, and the environment. We leverage our resources in the...

Mary Jo Ramey seeks to educate the hearts and minds of our community so that appropriate disposal techniques are implemented. She approaches all with a smile and her friendly personality opens avenues for change in our community. Mary Jo’s oversight and implementation of CMSA’s Pollution Prevention and Public Education Programs since 2011 has been instrumental...

The Coachella Valley Water District Collections Department is responsible for collecting wastewater from residential and commercial establishments, and safely transporting it to one of the five Wastewater Reclamation Plants (WRPs) for treatment. The collection system utilizes 28 lift stations, consists of 1,095 miles of sewer pipeline, and 22,391 manholes. ​

Roya is a Black & Veatch Project Engineer. She graduated from North Carolina State University in 2014 with a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering. Since joining the industry in 2014, she has worked on the planning, design, and construction for several wastewater treatment plants, recycled water treatment plants, and pump stations. She is currently the...

As the lead Electrical/Instrumentation for City of Pacifica Department of Public Works – Wastewater Division, Dave Peel supports the treatment plant and the City’s five pump stations. He is an excellent welder and fabricator. With this skill, Dave has taken on the additional responsibility to fabricate and repair equipment and thus saved thousands of dollars...

Mark worked at NAPA auto parts for 15 years before joining the district. He started at the district in 2001 as a mechanic where he served as a mechanic, facilities repair, and gardener. In 2015 the department he worked in was outsourced and he went to work in the construction and maintenance department where he...

William Edwards has been an invaluable addition to City of Vacaville. His ability and willingness to do anything and everything needed to get his job completed has been a breath of fresh air. His positive attitude and true commitment to make a difference in the City of Vacaville but providing quality customer service to the...

The team at South Placer Municipal Utility strives to fulfill our mission of Protecting public health and the environment, Providing outstanding sanitary sewer service, and Preparing for the future.

Joga Chizer is a O&M Technician at the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District, where he has performed in-house analysis for over 16 years. Joga holds a Grade IV Laboratory analyst certification, as well as a Grade I certificate in Environmental Compliance. Joga’s patience, adaptability, and strong work ethic have helped in maintaining a very open team environment...

After receiving his wastewater certification in 2015, Abdilla was hired by Ironhouse Sanitary District as the plant’s sole maintenance staff member. Since starting at the District, Abdilla has managed multiple maintenances and parts contracts and managed and completed numerous plant maintenance upgrades with contractors. Abdilla has been working closely with contractors on several concurrent projects,...

Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) is a Joint Power Authority (JPA) treating wastewater for their memeber agencies of Redwood City, Westbay sanitary District, San Carlos and Belmont. The population served is approximately 225,000. SVCW is dedicated to it’s customers and employees and is involved in many innovative wastewater treatment processes including research and development of...

Central San created our Virtual Treatment Plant Tour & Outreach Program to educate and engage the community about the essential service we provide. Our tour (centralsan.org/virtual-plant-tour) features interactive 360-degree photos of our treatment plant facilities, as well as audio recordings about each stage of the treatment process. The online tour provides customers with an immersive,...

Leon Laucirica began his career at Ironhouse Sanitary District at the age of 19. In his 15-year career with the District, he has taken advantage of the opportunities available to expand his knowledge of wastewater collections, fabrication/welding, underground construction, and electrical work. Laucirica is driven to be successful, and as a journey-level employee, he has...

EBMUD’s Main Wastewater Treatment Plant service area is comprised of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont, and the Stege Sanitary District, which is comprised of El Cerrito, Kensington, and a portion of Richmond known as the Richmond Annex. We are located at the base of the eastern span of the Bay Bridge and pride ourselves...

Dedicated water professional that has been in the industry for 34 years.

A pilot project was completed by the East Bay Municipal Utility District, Brown and Caldwell and others. The District processes a large volume of high-strength waste, which includes fats, oils, and grease (FOG), and food waste at their Main Wastewater Treatment Plant (MWWTP) as part of their resource recovery program for producing renewable energy. The...

The Inland Empire Utilities Agency developed the “No Wipes Down the Pipes” campaign to educate residents on what can and cannot be flushed. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic there became a scarcity of toilet paper. Several households resorted to using products that were available to purchase or products that residents already had at home. These...

West Bay Sanitary District is a Special Sanitary District in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. West Bay serves the communities of Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside, Portola Valley, Los Altos Hills, and portions of Redwood City, East Palo Alto, and unincorporated San Mateo County. The District is proud to be a progressive district known for...

Trevor is an experienced Laboratory Analyst with more than 20 years experience in water quality analysis and has worked at Carmel Area Wastewater district for over 11 years. He is skilled in Laboratory Information Systems, Instrumentation Research, Microsoft Access, Environmental Compliance, Laboratory Management, and Customer Service Education. He is also trained in Hazardous Materials response...

The San Elijo Joint Powers Authority’s (SEJPA) purpose is to provide safe and reliable recycled water and wastewater services to protect public health and the environment. Providing recycled water conserves the use of a limited and valuable resource and helps diversify and strengthen the region’s water supply. Wastewater services protect the environment and public health....

Under contract with the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD), PACE Advanced Water Engineering (PACE) performed a facility evaluation and design services to improve the efficiency and reduce operational costs of the existing 12 MGD Tapia Water Reclamation Facility by making improvements to its Process Air System. The improvements included over 60 retrievable, fine bubble...

Jason Mitchell has dedicated his career to providing analytical services in support of wastewater and water operations. His career spans over 28 years working in environmental laboratories, including 21 years in public utility laboratories. For the past 6 years, Jason has been serving as Laboratory Supervisor at EBMUD, overseeing chemists and technicians, and providing analytical...

Mitch Pierson is a grade 5 wastewater treatment operator and over 25 years in the wastewater / recycled water treatment field. He holds a grade 4 Plant Maintenance, grade 3 in Collection System Maintenance, grade 1 Laboratory Analyst, grade 1 Industrial Waste Treatment Plant Operator from CWEA. Mitch has received and participated in numerous awards...

Amanda Bird is a Senior Wastewater Treatment Operator IV with the City of Santa Cruz. She holds a Grade 5 Wastewater Operator license as well as Water Distribution 2 and Water Treatment 2 Operator licenses. Her educational background includes a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies from Portland State University and a Masters of Science...

Wyatt Troxel has been involved in the Environmental-consulting field for many years. Specializing in Water, Wastewater and Storm water. He has served over 20 plus years as a respected leader, as staff and ultimately as a director and past president of the Inland Empire Utilities Authority. He has been heavily involved in training at CWEA,...

NIck Steffen, City of Los Angeles Shift Superintendent Wastewater Treatment 10 yeas as an Operator, SWRCB Grade 5 Operators Certificate Engineer in Training license Past President, Tri Counties Section

Megan is a non-profit communications manager. Responsible for the production of CWEA’s print and e-publications, advertising, awards management, fundraising, website maintenance and membership support. Specialties: Mac/PC platforms; Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, InDesign; Final Cut Pro; WordPress; Dreamweaver; Microsoft Office Suite; video editing and social networking.

Ralph Stevens is a hybrid he is an Operator, Electrical/Instrumentation, Safety, Reliability and CWEA supporter. Ralph goes out of his way to help and protect staff and the environment. Ralph has been in the Wastewater field all of his working life and will always find a way to giveback to those in need.

Ryan has been a wonderful and extremely knowledgable person work with over the years -KVP

Kathryn Gies, with West Yost Associates, has over 16 years of experience in planning and regulatory compliance support for wastewater treatment and recycled water projects. Kathryn’s areas of expertise include planning; process design; biological nutrient removal (BNR) systems; natural wastewater treatment; sustainable infrastructure; NPDES and biosolids regulatory permitting; recycled water master planning; and groundwater quality...

10 years active in CWEA and Tri Counties Section Past President Tri Counties Section Mulitple presentations at CWEA Sections including TCS, San Diego and SARBS Presented many topics at WWETT Recognized for contribution to our industry by the Clay Pipe Institute in 2019. Recognized by the Young President’s Organization with the Legacy Honor Award, as...

John Robinson has over 25 years of experience in the private sector in California. John has established John Robinson Consulting, Inc. which is a small Los Angeles County based firm which prides ourselves with excellent customer service supporting industrial clients, special districts, municipal clients and water districts. John Robinson Consulting, Inc. experience is focused on...

Wastewater Reclamation Supervisor Mark thanked his Dad for his 34-year-career at CVWD. “Frankly, I never thought I’d work in wastewater,” he said. “My Dad did it in Palm Springs for 36 years. He made me think about benefits and the future.”That was while the Palm Springs High grad bulked up his resume with jobs at...

Dennis Lambert was born and raised in California. He graduated from San Lorenzo High School in 1979 and Heald Business College with an MCSE+Internet in 1998. In 1984 he married Jeannette and has two 25 year old children, Jonathan and Rebecca. Dennis started his career in IT and considers himself fairly new to the wastewater...

Mike is an environmental engineer who has devoted his 30-year career to planning, designing, constructing, and commissioning water resource recovery facilities throughout California and around the world. Throughout that time, he has been an active member of the California Water Environment Association and the Water Environment Federation. For the San Francisco Bay Section of CWEA,...

Laurie is currently employed as the Finance and Acquisition Services Coach at the Union Sanitary District; she has an MBA, holds Wastewater Grade V certification in California, a Career Technical Education (CTE) credential from the CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and is both a Certified Quality Auditor and Certified Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point...

Christopher Goward is the Plant Operations Training Coordinator at Central Contra Costa Sanitary District. Christopher has worked for the District for over 15 years, five of which were as a Plant Operator 3 and has served as the Training Coordinator for 10+ years. Christopher currently holds a Grade 3 Wastewater Operator license and does plan...

Training: Semi-Pro Category Central San’s Operator Training Program features a library of training videos, created to aid the skills and development of new operators. This Power Fail Response video was produced to provide a step-by-step checklist to return power to the treatment plant during an emergency power failure occurrence.

Oyuna is an Associate Chemist with the City of Escondido. She started as a Laboratory Technician in 2012 and has worked her way up to her current position which she obtained in December of 2015. Oyuna holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the Mongolian University of Science and Technology. She holds a...

This Project (“Pilot-Scale Evaluation of ANITA Mox for Mainstream Deammonification and Phosphorous Removal”) was a collaborative effort between LACSD and Kruger. The core project team included staff from LACSD’s Wastewater Research group (Nikos Melitas, Michael Liu, Eric Krikorian, Hana Long, Tom Knapp, Ken Smith, and Clarence Johnson) and Kruger (Hong Zhao, Mitch Johnson, Samuel Liang,...

The dedicated employees of the Encina Wastewater Authority work hard everyday to protect the Pacific Ocean in a safe, reliable, and efficient manner.

City of Santa Barbara’s Wastewater Collection team works hard to earn the trust and high regard of the community by ensuring the community’s sewage makes it to El Estero Water Resource Center.

Joey was born and raised in the Goleta area, and has been working for Goleta West Sanitary District for over 8 years as a Utility worker. He is a part of our collection systems operations crew and is reponsible for maintaining our sewer collection system as well as all equipment and facilities. Joey is also...

Current Outreach After Board approval, efforts to design the tunnel and secure the necessary permits proceeded. During this stage, outreach continued with a focus on environmental groups and communities near the tunnel alignment. This outreach helped address concerns about potential construction impacts and build upon the positive relationships our agency has with surrounding community. In...

The CMSA wastewater treatment plant is a vital component of the central Marin wastewater management system. This extensive system includes over 70 pump stations, more than 450 miles of sewer pipelines located throughout the service area, as well as two major interceptors to transport the wastewater to the treatment plant, and a two-mile long outfall...

The City of Paso Robles Wastewater Treatment plant simultaneously installed Title 22 for irrigation tertiary treatment technologies and a phosphorus nutrient harvest system. The new facilities provide a source of sustainable water, reduce nuisance struvite build-up throughout plant piping and equipment, and provide value to the community. The tertiary treatment facilities and nutrient harvest system...

The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San) provides wastewater collection and cleaning, recycled water production and distribution, and household hazardous waste collection for nearly 500,000 residents and over 3,000 businesses in central Contra Costa County, California.

Kaitie Zusy (Kaitie) is currently a Project Engineer with Black & Veatch and has been with the company for 8 years. Kaitie has grown as a leader by being active in the SF Bay Board of Directors and takes on more responsibility every year as she takes on a larger role. She is in line...

In Northern California’s East Contra Costa County, a coalition of five-public agencies —Byron Sanitary District, City of Brentwood, Delta Diablo, Ironhouse Sanitary District and the Town of Discovery Bay — created a regional public outreach campaign to help customers understand the environmental impacts that are caused by flushing personal hygiene wipes marked “flushable” or “flush-friendly”....

Louis Solana currently holds the position of Ironhouse Sanitary District’s (ISD) Collection and Maintenance Superintendent. Mr. Solana began his employment with ISD in July of 2003 as a closed-circuit television (CCTV) operator. Mr. Solana’s extensive knowledge of how the sewer collection systems works, his can-do attitude, and his supervisory skills demonstrate that he is an...

The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San) designed the Pipe Protectors Program to fill a void in wastewater education, as Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd-grade programming simply doesn’t exist. As part of this effort, Central San wanted to create a program with accessible characters that young students could relate to easily. The district felt it...

James is an Operator and Maintenance Technician 4 at the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District where he acts as an operator in charge and mentor to junior staff. As a native in the San Francisco bay area he takes pride in knowing he is doing his part to protect this important estuary and the communities he is...

Steve is a CA certified electrician who trained as an IBEW apprentice and has been doing electrical work for 20+ years with the last 12 at Fairfield Suisun Sewer District. Steve is enthusiastic about the work and is always there to answer questions and lend a helping hand. Steve holds three separate Grade IV CWEA...

Public Education: Semi-Pro Toot Visits the Lab is a video that’s part of Central San’s educational outreach program; its primary purpose being to get kids excited about science, learn about wastewater, and give them a chemist role model for a future professional pathway.

Located adjacent to San Francisco Bay on Colma Creek, the South San Francisco – San Bruno Water Quality Control Plant provides secondary wastewater treatment for the cities of South San Francisco, San Bruno, and Colma. It also provides the dechlorination treatment of chlorinated effluent for the cities of Burlingame, Millbrae, and the San Francisco International...

Jennifer is the Superintendent of Sewer Operations at the Long Beach Water Department. She holds a Collection Systems Maintenance Grade III certification from CWEA, as well as certifications for both Water Distribution (D2) and Water Treatment (T2) from the SWRCB. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Specialization in Business and Administration...

Juan Zapata started in the trades field, working as a heavy equipment/diesel mechanic In 1988 he attended Phoenix Institute of Technology for a year. Graduated from their Precision Power Train & Chassis course. In 2015 Juan started at the Gilroy Wastewater Plant. All his trades, skills, knowledge & experience has helped him here. But that’s...

Dindo Carillo is employed at the Orange County Sanitation District as a Senior Environmental Specialist. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from UC Irvine and his Master’s Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis on Analytical Chemistry from CSU Long Beach. Dindo has over 16 years experience with regulatory compliance responsibilities which focus on NPDES...

Chris Newton began his career in 2009 with Newport Beach and served as the Utility Crew Chief and recently started in a new position as Collections System Supervisor with South Coast Water District in 2018. Chris is currently serving as Vice President fro SARBS, TCP Liaison with SRC, and volunteers his time working the the...

Daniel Dyer is the Collection Systems Supervisor for the Inland Empire Utilities Agency. He has worked in that capacity for close to 7 years. Prior to that, Dan worked in the industry for over 20 years for the cities of Montclair, Colton, and San Clemente in various positions including Maintenance Worker, Collections Operator, Plant Operator,...

Dorien is the Collection Systems Manager for Irvine Ranch Water District. She has served in this capacity for four years. Prior to that, Dorien was the Wastewater Supervisor in the Utilities Division of the City of Huntington Beach Public Works Department. She holds technical certification in the following disciplines: Collection System Maintenance, Wastewater Treatment, Drinking...

The Hollister Wastewater Plant is a 4.0 MGD Water Reclamation Facility. This facility is operated by one manager, four operators and one admin assistant. All operators double as maintenance technicians. This enhances the operators overall skills. This, along with ongoing training in safety, supervision and management, make them better overall operators and knowledgeable as they...

Abigail Gomez, Environmental Control Supervisor for the City of Fontana, has been paramount in the rebuilding of the Pretreatment, Pollution Prevention & Stormwater committee. She has the passion and grit needed to impact the industry. Her tenacity has helped to improve the Committee and the certification content for the environmental compliance inspections. She has found...

The Department of Public Works Collection System Division is responsible for prolonging the life of the collection system infrastructure and transporting waste to point of treatment without disruption or overflows, while meeting the needs of citizens in the service area and all federal, state and local regulations in a cost-efficient manner. The City of Pacifica...

Based in Inland Southern California the City of Riverside’s Collections Section is made up of 19 members all CWEA certificatied in Collections System Maintenance. The team operates and maintains the City’s sewer collection system which is comprised of 820 miles mains, 414 miles of laterals, and 20 lift stations. Riverside’s team is also responsible for...

Pictured: Chemical Dosing Navy Veteran, Married 29 amazing years to my bride Melissa. Have been in the Wastewater Industry since 1999 with three CWEA Certifications in Mechanical Tech. Grade 3, Environmental Compliance Grade 1 and Collection System Maintenance Grade 2. Active in High Desert Church Student Ministries for 25 years and race District 37 AMA...

Dominic “Bruno” Brunozzi began his tenure with the Olivenhain Municipal Water District in September 2007 as a Pump & Motor Technician I, and was quickly promoted to Pump and Motor Technician II one year later. He is responsible for maintaining OMWD’s Electro Mechanical Equipment, Emergency Generators, and Energy Recover Turbines. Bruno holds a certificate as...

We have an extensive outreach program that focuses on educating the public on our environmental efforts. Part of the program is providing tours of our treatment plant so people can see firsthand what happens to the water when they flush the toilet, wash their clothes, etc. We host an average of 200 tours per year...

Sam Rose has dedicated his career to the collection system industry. He has worked 36 years (his entire career) at the South Placer Municipal Utility District and currently serves as the District’s Superintendent. Sam devoted much of his involvement with CWEA to promoting the technical expertise and professionalism of collection system maintenance operators by providing...

Steve Cano is the Wastewater Maintenance Superintendent with Costa Mesa Sanitary District since 2010. He holds a CWEA Grade 4 in Collections, CWEA Grade 1 Environmental Compliance, is NASSCO certified, also holds D2 and T1 State certified in distribution and treatment. He is actively involved in his local Collections Committee, currently serving as the President...

Stephanie Turnipseed is the Pollution Prevention and Outreach Coordinator at Napa Sanitation District. Stephanie studied Geography and Biology at Syracuse University and received her Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Clark University in Massachusetts. She has 12 years of experience in environmental education and outreach, including 4 years at Napa Sanitation District.

Susan has worked in pollution prevention for over 20 years, in the hazardous waste, stormwater, and wastewater fields. She joined SVCW in 2011, and immediately became involved with CWEA, joining the CEO committee in a leadership capacity. As the chair of the P3S committee this year she worked on creating a vibrant conference and program...

Moonlight Over Clarifier

Primary Filtration (PF) using a pile cloth-depth filter (PCDF) is an emerging treatment process that may provide significant benefits to the wastewater treatment industry. Rather than using a primary clarifier, a PCDF is used after screening and grit removal prior to the activated sludge process. To evaluate this technology as a potential option for replacement...

The Olivenhain Municipal Water District expert staff focuses on providing high quality wastewater and recycled water related services for the residents and businesses of 4S Ranch and Rancho Cielo. We are proud stewards of our facilities and appreciate contributimg to the greater good of our community.

Let’s face it: sewers aren’t sexy. And at the Sacramento Area Sewer District (SASD), we understand that the 1.2 million customers we serve throughout the Sacramento region don’t think about sewers as fondly or as frequently as we do. Research shows that for them, it’s out of sight, out of mind. But in California, the...

Travis Fisher, Senior Inspector for the Ojai Valley Sanitary District. Holds a Collections System Maintenance grade 3, Bachelor Degree from Antioch University of Santa Barbara and spent four years in the United States Navy.

Leucadia Wasterwater District covers a total service area of 10,200 acres (16 square miles) which includes the original service area in Leucadia as well as portions of the cities of Carlsbad (the La Costa area) and Encinitas. With over 62,000 households in service, the District serves the public by collecting, transporting, recycling and treating wastewater...

The Southern Region Tertiary Treatment Plant (SRTTP) is a 7.5 MGD wastewater plant serving the United States Marine Corp on Camp Pendleton. This well designed facility enables the operations and maintenance staff to produce high quality effluent effectively and safely in order to comply with our permit requirements. Our effluent is used throughout the southern...

Ryan Sellman is the current President of the Northern San Joaquin Section (NSJS), and has been involved with CWEA since 2007 and active on the NSJS Board since 2016. He has worked at Carollo Engineers, Inc. since earning his BS in Civil Engineering from University of the Pacific (UOP) in 2007. Ryan has gone above...

The team is made up of 18 outstanding individuals who have symbiotically developed into an outstanding team. Each team member adds a special skill set and the initiative to use those skills to create a world class wastewater facility. The staff is proud of its’ accomplishments and works tirelessly to set the standard in the...

Garon is an outstanding operator who always goes above and beyond. As a manager when I think of an ideal operator, I think of Garon. Garon is not only an outstanding operator but he is humble and great person to work with.

Born and raised in San Jose, California. Has a BS degree in Environmental Studies from Portland State University. Has a MS degree in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. She is a Grade 5 Wastewater Treatment Operator, a Grade 2 Water Treatment Operator, a Grade 2 Water Distribution Operator. Prior to joining the...

The CMSA Power Delivery Program is a comprehensive multi-year effort that began in the early 2000s and includes numerous individual engineering projects with the overall goal of leveraging CMSA’s existing wastewater infrastructure to maximize the amount of renewable power produced from wastewater and other external organic feedstocks. The Program also provides the flexibility for CMSA...

Ted is the Engineering Supervisor for the Industrial Source Control Group of the Resource Protection Division at the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD). Ted is responsible for overseeing permitting and enforcement for OCSD’s industrial pretreatment program. Ted has excelled in this role, emerging as a recognized leader at OCSD. Ted has been a staff member...

Jennifer has been an Environmental Compliance Inspector for the City of Modesto for 10 years, working concurrently under both the city’s pretreatment and stormwater programs as well as being fully in charge of both the city’s stormwater municipal operations program and the public outreach and education program for wastewater and stormwater. In 2017 she was...

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As chair of the collections committee, Kyle has worked with individuals and groups to bring training, knowledge, and information to the workers in the northern valley to promote safety, professionalism, and the skills to confidently do their respective jobs for their community. Kyle will remain in this leadership role for the rest of the year,...

Kurtis Westbrook for Laboratory Analyst of the Year. Kurtis has worked for the City of Vacaville for 7 years, moving up from fresh out of college to a Lab Analyst II and currently holds his grade II Analyst certification, ready to test for his Grade IV. Kurtis is a great team player, a wonderful trainer...

The City of Los Angeles has completed the One Water LA 2040 Plan. In 2013, Los Angeles Sanitation and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power led the effort and partnered with other City departments, regional agencies, non-profits, academia, the business community, and other stakeholders. One Water LA is a collaborative approach to develop...

Mary Jo is a very honest and friendly outreach employee for the Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA). Her approachable style of engagement fosters an environment of learning and facilitates environmental change. Mary Jo is a highly valued environmental service analyst that has significantly impacted CMSA’s FOG education program and source control in so many ways....

Dedicated employee of the Orange District with over 12 years of progressive engineering related experience and continuing education.

Zaheer Shaikh has focused his career on wastewater treatment plant design. He has worked in all phases of project development with an emphasis on design and construction support of wastewater treatment facilities. His work involved unit process evaluation, new facility layout and designs, and retrofitting of existing facilities.

Dave Bachtel, P.E., BCEE is the Chief Engineer for Dave Bachtel Consulting Engineers. In his role, he oversees the day-to-day activities and operations of the firm. He has worked in the environmental profession for more than 40 years in various roles dealing with biosolids management, wastewater operations, renewable energy, and resource recovery. Mr. Bactel is...

Gary Warren, PE, is a Senior Civil Engineer for the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), supervising the Wastewater Engineering Division’s Design Section. This Section performs in-house design work for the Wastewater Department’s capital improvement projects. Projects include treatment plant, collection system and recycled water system upgrades and rehabilitation. Gary has been very involved with...

Marcos Avila has been working for VVWRA since 2011, his contributions to the maintenance team are countless and his dedication to his team and the agency is unparalleled . Marcos lives with his family in Phelan, Ca and is a dedicated father and husband.

Tom Falk is a Civil/Environmental Engineer specializing in the delivery of water projects throughout California for over 17 years. His experience includes management of multi-discipline teams from planning through construction. He enjoys building consensus across management, engineering, and operations to develop agency-focused solutions. As an active member of CWEA, Tom has proudly served on the...

Ms. Conway has over 30 years of professional experience in the engineering field. The last 25 years have been in the environmental field and includes experience in the following areas: water and wastewater quality management; regulatory and legislative policy development and analysis; water recycling; source control, pollution prevention and industrial waste permitting programs; wastewater treatment...

Kody Tompkins is the Chief Plant Operator (CPO) at the Barstow Wastewater Treatment Plant (BWWTP) and oversees all wastewater operations for the City. He is an active member of the California Water Environmental Agency, American Water Works Association, and the Water Environmental Federation. Kody completed two tours to Iraq, for over a year each. Kody...

Kody Tompkins is the Chief Plant Operator (CPO) at the Barstow Wastewater Treatment Plant (BWWTP). He is an active member of the California Water Environmental Agency, American Water Works Association, and the Water Environmental Federation. Kody completed two tours to Iraq, for over a year each. Kody eventually discharged honorably in 2009 as a Sergeant....

The Coachella Valley Water District has been servicing our customers since 1918. Our Collection System includes over 1100 miles of gravity mains, 86 mile of force main, over 22,000 manholes and 28 lift stations and 136 air release units. We take pride in providing excellent customer service, a safe work environment and protecting public health.

For the second consecutive year, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) published “Watershed to Bay,” a 12-page insert in the East Bay Express with a printed run of 35,000 papers distributed at 950 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. The “Watershed to Bay” insert is a visually engaging publication that offers an overview...

The Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District serves more than 135,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in central Solano County, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco. FSSD owns and operate a system of sanitary sewers and pumping stations and oversees wastewater collection and treatment, water recycling and stormwater management services. Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District protects public health and...

Jed began working for West Bay Sanitary District in District in 2000. Born and raised in Menlo Park, Ca. Held several positions at West Bay including maintenance worker, CCTV Technician, Field Supervisor, Source Control Inspector, and Acting Regulatory Compliance Coordinator. Been involved with CWEA training events and TCP programs for close to 15 years, and...

Jeff Schier is a master mechanic and licensed journeyman electrician. He is a graduate of the John O’ O’connell Technical Institute of San Francisco (1972) and has a long history of customer service and quality craftsmanship in the public and private sectors. He has experience installing and servicing equipment in heavy industrial settings including the...

The City of Vista owns and operates approximately 300 miles of sewer pipe, along with 2 pump stations and is located in the North County area of San Diego. The City of Vista operates two sewer systems: the City of Vista system and the Buena Sanitation District to serve those residents in the unincorporated areas...

Ignacio Just, Control System Operator Specialist “Extraordinaire” for the City of Santa Barbara, El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant exist to provide quality services through teamwork, trust and a positive attitude. Ignacio holds a Electrical/Instrumentation Grade 4 and a Mechanical Technologist Grade 4. Ignacio continues to thrive as a well respected member of the El Estero...