Photos by Kent McIntosh, LACSD and Miluska Propersi, RMC Water & Environment

Photos by Kent McIntosh, LACSD

On Friday June 24th Sun Valley based fountain company WET Designs hosted a party and booksigning for author Charles Fishman who just released The Big Thirst. Proceeds from books sold at the event were donated to Water for People Los Angeles and the vent raised nearly $600.

WET was featured in one of the chapters of Charles’ new book where he talks about our strong emotional bonds to water – the joy of jumping into a swimming pool or playing on a slip-n-slide or watching a water fall. WET’s fountains make water playful, fun and interactive.

Started in 1983 by designer Mark Fuller, WET designs is now an internationally acclaimed designer of fountains and water features including several famous ones here in Los Angeles:  the dancing fountains at The Grove; the fountain you can walk through in the Music Center Courtyard; the water feature at the California Center; the wave fountain at Fashion Island in Newport Beach; the Gas Co. Tower’s lobby and more.

One of WET’s first signature designs is the laminar stream – a perfect arc of glassy water that looks like it is suspended in mid-air. The technology behind the arc was Mark’s university thesis – axisymmetric laminar flow.

The facility in Sun Valley includes the factory, administrative offices, engineering offices and a large “playground” where WET designers pulled out several interactive fountains for the partygoers to experience. Over 200 people work in the complex of offices.  From their catalog:

How do you know it’s WET? The signature WET experience is a powerful social attractor, a magnetic north for anyone searching for a genuine human connection. In an increasingly urban and digital work. WET shapes lifescapes where the community gather, where children play and where a sense of wonder envelops all.

For details on WET Designs visit: www.wetdesigns.com

For info on The Big Thirst visit: www.thebigthirst.com

LABS, SARBS and others are organizing several talks by best-selling author Charles Fishman. His new book ’The Big Thirst‘ is a deep dive into the wonderful world of water and filled with amazing stories about the people and projects providing clean, safe water in America and around the world.

The book asks blunt questions about America’s relationship with water and how we care for it. In a country with an abundance of clean water, available 24/7 and for less than a penny a gallon, are we missing a bigger picture? What happens when the water runs out.

If you’re interested in speaking with Charles about a speaking engagement, site visit or have a media interview suggestion please contact LABS VP Alec Mackie at 714-428-4614 or alecm@jwce.com.

About the author: Charles Fishman is the author of The Wal-Mart Effect, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Fishman is a former metro and national reporter for The Washington Post. Since 1996, he has worked for the business magazine Fast Company. He has won numerous awards, including twice winning UCLA’s Gerald Loeb Award for outstanding business writing, the most prestigious award in business journalism. His story about bottled water, “Message in a Bottle,” was a finalist for the 2008 Gerald Loeb Award for magazine writing.

On July 28th CWEA Tri-Counties and LABS members will travel to Malibu for an informative look at the cities innovative new stormwater treatment system and surrounding park. Join LABS and tour this amazing new park. The tour is followed by a dinner meeting presentation by Malibu’s Public Works Director Bob Brager. The parks design engineers from RMC Water & Environment will also speak.

Click here for event info and to RSVP.

The park was profiled in an Oct. 2, 2010 LA Times article…

Less obvious, however, will be the park’s reason for being: reducing water pollution. Buried beneath visitors’ feet is a sophisticated network of pipes and filters engineered to remove bacteria, metals and trash from the storm-water runoff that has long contaminated Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon and the point break at Surfrider Beach.

The $38-million Malibu Legacy Park is considered to be the centerpiece of the city’s commitment to clean water, a commitment that coastal activists say is welcome, if long overdue.

 

On Saturday May 14th about 100 high school students participated in the Tech Day outreach fair hosted by the Los Angeles African American Engineers and Professional Employees Association. The event was held inside the beautiful new Galen Center at USC.

LABS helped sponsor the event and hosted a table with mock demonstrations of the wastewater treatment process. LABS Director Basil Hewitt, President Wendy Wert and VP Alec Mackie described the wastewater treatment process to students, the importance of taking care of water and all the great careers available in the wastewater industry.

The students showed they knew their stuff. Some asked about the UV disinfection process – a newer technology in the water and wastewater industry. Several already knew 75% of the Earth’s surface is water andless than 1% is available for drinking water, so it’s important to use water wisely. Others were facsinated by the microscope and watching the microorganisms turn pollution into cleaner water.

The wastewater industry will need plenty of new treatment plant operators, engineers and managers in the coming years. A great resource for students and young professionals interested in a water/wastewater career is WEF’s new website www.WorkForWater.org.

Thanks to Los Angeles African American Engineers and Professional Employees Association for organizing yet another fantastic tech day (they’ve been hosting these events for over 10 years) and LABS looks forward to next year’s student outreach event.

Wendy successfully completed another LA Marathon. Through wind, cold and rain. Way to go Wendy!

After the March 17th LABS dinner meeting featuring Tom Fang, a Senior Engineer with LACSD, it was time for door prizes.

One lucky LABS attendee received an Amazon Kindle as their prize. Wow!

Want to learn cool new things about Los Angeles wastewater and stormwater projects PLUS get a chance to win a cool prize – attend the next LABS dinner meeting! (Please note: Amazon Kindles are not given away at every dinner!).

Our thanks to Lee Anna Bonn at Golden State Labor Compliance for donating this wonderful door prize. About them:

Golden State Labor Compliance’s support involves considerably more than simply collecting and reviewing certified payroll documents; it involves a total support resource, offering public agencies: A fully compliant, DIR-approved program that enjoys the highest possible standing with the Department of Industrial Relations, our industry colleagues, clients and labor organizations. A ‘construction smart’ approach to all aspects of labor compliance and contractor mentoring that preserves good working relationships with your contractors. Statutory and regulatory monitoring, representation, and advisory services by seasoned professionals with the expertise, access and influence to ensure that LCP policy and activities stay ‘ahead of the curve’ in terms of evolving DIR requirements. Experienced construction professionals handling all jobsite support operations, to ensure mutually respectful, non-confrontational field service and interplay with jobsite personnel. Full indemnification and defense of the agency for labor compliance administration and implementation.

If your company wants to donate a door prize please contact LABS Corporate Director John Biggs, Brown and Caldwell, at jbiggs@brwncald.com.

In early March a delegation of Chinese urban planning, construction and water officials from Sichuan Province visited Southern California to tour water and wastewater treatment facilities. The delegation asked LABS for assistance in locating facilities to tour and LABS Directors were happy to provide assistance. The delegation of Chinese officials toured water treatment plants, water reclamation facilities in El Segundo and Fountain Valley and wastewater treatment facilities in Los Angeles and Glendale among other sites.

One of the highlights of their visit was an in-depth tour of the award winning Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) in Fountain Valley.  GWRS is a microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV treatment facility which purifies water and sends it to seawater intrusion barriers and the Anaheim spreading grounds. It is joint project of the Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District.

Lo Tan, a Senior Engineer with Orange County Water District, provided a briefing in Chinese on Orange County’s need for the GWRS and on the projects development over the last ten years. Lo then led the delegation on a tour of the various treatment systems and processes, including a look at the impressive array of reverse osmosis canisters.

Members of the delegation pointed out Sichuan, China is well-known for their Giant Panda Research Center.

Here  is the presentation (PDF):

2011 - Power Generation Facility Steam Cycle Modifications - Tom Fang (170)

 

Story tk…

Bill Haaker, one of the founders of Vactor distributor Haaker Equipment Company in Southern California, passed away suddenly in December. Mr. Haaker was a strong supporter of CWEA’s training initiatives, including supporting LABS training events, and was a founding member of the Southern Section Collection System Committee.

A memorial service was held on Jan. 3rd at the Rose Hills, Sky Rose Chapel in Whittier.

The company has posted a memorial to Bill on their YouTube channel here.

Read more

Photos by Kent McIntosh, LACSD.

Click here to view more photos of our wonderful members and guests!

On January 8, 2011, the Los Angeles Basin Section (LABS) of California Water Environment Association (CWEA) hosted the 2011 annual LABS awards from the Royal Salon of the Queen Mary. The celebration began with an energized social gathering of CWEA leaders, members, and award winners.

LABS 2009 President, Hala Titus welcomed attendees to the ceremony. Speaker Titus thanked the organizations present for their continuing commitment to CWEA and commended them for their support of training opportunities for their staff.

Read more

Click here for event flyer and to RSVP >

Thursday, February 17, 2011 Tour 11 am – noon, Tacos at noon

Join the Los Angeles Basin Section of CWEA for a Tour and Tacos luncheon Event featuring the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by architect Frank Gehry. The tour of Walt Disney Concert Hall is architectural in nature, focusing on the projects history from conception to completion as well as significant highlights of prominent interior and exterior areas of the building.

The interior spaces include viewing the Library of Congress/Ira Gershwin Gallery. Walt Disney Concert Hall is the only venue in which the Library of Congress has allowed artifacts from their facility to be displayed. The Gallery is changed every 6 – 8 months and focuses on a specific subject such as Music and Architecture. The exterior levels include the almost 1 acre Blue Ribbon Garden where the lovely Lillian Fountain is located and the 5th level Aerial Pathway which offers guests a wonderful view of downtown Los Angeles.

On November 4^th more than 200 CWEA members gathered at the Glendale Auditorium for training classes on collection system issues in Los Angeles County. In addition, 20 exhibitors displayed the latest in sewer system solutions including trucks, machinery, sensors, robots and chemicals.

The SWRCB’s Waste Discharge Requirements from 2006 come with strict reporting requirements so a main focus of the training was reporting compliance. John Hicks, Superintendent of Wastewater Systems for the City of Glendale, took a class of 100+ people through a simulated overflow event in the parking lot and explained the math and science behind making proper overflow estimates as well as meeting the proper SWRCB reporting requirements.

Meanwhile in the management class SWRCB official Jim Fisher explained the Water Board’s online spill reporting system and also covered what officials are looking for during SSMP audits. There are 1,100 active enrollees in the on-line spill reporting system. Half of California’s agencies have completed, certified and implemented a Sewer System Management Plan. Looking closer at the SSO spill data Jim reported 6% of responses had reporting errors, 11% missed all of the reporting requirements and 80% missed some data. A total of 34 reports or 3% correctly submitted all data. Jim reported the current focus for the Water Board is compliance and random audits.

(all presentations from Nov 4th are in LABS Presentation Database) 
(Photos by Jim Aanderud, Innerline Engineering)

Read more

The Powerpoint presentations from the LABS-SSCSC seminar in Glendale are posted here:

www.labsofcwea.com/databases/presentations/?category=7 

One point of emphasis on directions, please enter the Glendale Civic Auditorium from Mountain Street:

Drive on Mountain St.
JUST PAST Verdugo St
On your right hand side is the parking lot
Glendale Auditorium entrance to the lot is under the trees. City of Glendale staff will be on hand to direct you.

That makes the parking lot address for Glendale Civic Auditorium:
1519 E Mountain St, Glendale, CA  91207

>> Click here for flyer and registration form

Thursday Nov. 4th
7:30-3:00 • 4 CEUs

Glendale Civic Auditorium
1401 N Verdugo Rd., Glendale

2-freeway
Exit Mountain St., go down the hill
CROSS Verdugo Road
1 block on right hand side
Enter parking lot from MOUNTAIN STREET.
Free parking! Vacuum trucks welcome.

LA’s meeting for collection systems workers, managers and superintendents – and anyone else who loves to talk wastewater collections! Featuring Jim Fischer SSO Office, SWRCB on SSMP audits and what the State is looking for. Hands-on training includes: truck safety, rodders, cleaning nozzles and more. Compliance case studies, live overflow simulation, SSO responses & SSMPs. Vendor training, great BBQ lunch and lots of great door prizes!

Nearly 200 people from dozens of Los Angeles agencies are attending including: Long Beach, Torrance, Burbank, Hawthorne, Glendale, Pasadena, Monrovia, Palmdale, Lancaster, IEUA, Simi Valley, LACSD and more! Register for collection systems training today!

$55 CWEA member/$65 non-member

A sunset cruise around the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors hosted by LABS Past President Hala Titus of Black & Veatch.

Here is the entire presentation in PDF format as requested…

City of LA Venice VDFM LABS (PDF), Sean Zahedi, PE, Project Manager