Last month, CWEA announced the state winners of the Annual Awards program. Among those winners are our specialized awards given to innovators, dedicated wastewater professionals and those who have made a particular contribution to the industry. These Gimmicks and Gadgets winners, Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers and Quarter Century recognition awards showcase some of...

Paula Zeller Senior Plant Operator, CWEA Past President 5S 1999 I got my shovel when we had mammoths and saber-toothed tigers in the treatment plant. The ceremony was conducted by guys who worked with pterodactyls and spinosaurus. I had done some behind-the-scenes stuff for SARBS, the biggest local section in CWPCA [now CWEA], like: Writing...

Wendy Wert Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, CWEA President-Elect 5S 2011 In my town we have bears. They eat our garbage then bathe in our pools. This past weekend I was wearing the new California Bear 5S pin when I ran into one of my neighbors. Sandy (my neighbor) asked what the bear-pin was for....

Gary Warren East Bay Municipal Utility District 5s 2019 Gary Warren was recognized by his peers in receiving a 5S Award in April at the Annual Conference 2019 in Palm Springs. His CWEA participation started simply, by attending various local dinner meetings and training seminars in the San Francisco Bay Area. These CWEA events provided...

Steve Jepsen Southern California Alliance of POTWs 5S 2016 After I did my cycle as first director through past president with the CWEA San Diego Section, I received the treasured gold shovel and a lifetime membership to the secret society of sludge shovelers.I proudly wear my gold shovel at professional events.One of my first public...

Arvind  Akela, P.E.  Silicon Valley Clean Water , CWEA Vice President  5S 2016     Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers  (5S Society) is an esteemed group of people in the wastewater field and I feel very proud to be part of it. Every CWEA event I walk into; I make sure I have shovel with me and is...

by Joe Haworth (as published in the Winter CWEA Bulletin 1996) That’s right! Members of the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers for the California Water Environment Association can proudly proclaim that American icon, Rube Goldberg, is a member and a colleague. Mr. Goldberg, a well known cartoonist famous for gadgets and strange looking machinery,...