1st Place – Gimmicks & Gadgets – The Nocardia Foam Catcher
Larry Lemire, Charles Harris, Marcos Alvarez & Phil Ackman, LACSD
1st Place, Ops Challenge
LA Wrecking Crew
Preeti Ghuman, LACSD P3S Person of the Year
Joseph Petchuk, City of Santa Monica
Public Education Person of the Year
Michael Simpson, City of Los Angeles
Research Achievement
County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, Combining UV & Chlorination for Disinfection of Wastewater Effluents & Recycled Water
Safety, Large Plant
County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
Sludge Trudge
Wendy Wert, LACSD, 1st Place Individual Category
Read the full story on the CWEA E-Bulletin blog >
Treatment Plant of the Year - Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant
(click next to browse through award winners)
By Wendy Wert
LABS Director
On January 23, 2010, the Los Angeles Basin Section (LABS) of California Water Environment Association (CWEA) hosted the 2009 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.
The featured speaker, CWEA Past President Dave Greenwood highlighted specific steps CWEA has taken in 2009 and those planned for 2010 to reach the organizational training objectives in light of current economic conditions. Greenwood reported that CWEA has remained strong during this economic cycle. Although conference attendance was slightly lower than expected, the organization remains energized and plans to roll out stellar training opportunities in 2010. He urged the organizations present to continue to partner with CWEA to support training opportunities for their staff and emphasized the value of workforce engagement.
HOLD THE DATE!
Saturday evening awards banquet at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
RSVP with Hala Titus (titush@bv.com) by January 16th, 2010
Click here for more information!
District honored with AMWA’s Platinum Award for Utility Excellence
“This award is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our Board of Directors and member public agencies in providing the leadership to help Metropolitan deal head-on with the ever-changing issues utilities confront today,” said MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger.
“It also demonstrates the value of our excellent workforce in providing a safe and reliable water supply to 19 million Southern Californians despite a changing climate, struggling water supply and ecosystems and a growing population,” Kightlinger said.
Dr. Shahram Kharaghani (credit: LA City)
Dr. Kharaghani is head of the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation Watershed Protection Division and oversees stormwater projects, flood control and regulatory compliance.
The American Society of Civil Engineers, Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch honored Dr. Kharaghani at their Oct. 8th meeting in Downtown Los Angeles.
Nominations for 2009 LABS Awards must be mailed by Monday, November 23rd.
Visit our Awards Page to download a nomination form today!
Ofelia Rubio, P.E. Civil Engineer, Los Angeles
From the City Department of Public Works…
Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering Civil Engineer, Ofelia Rubio, P.E., received a “Professional Achievement” award from the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC). The organization has given awards in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) awards category for the last 21 years to the best and brightest in the Hispanic community.
“We are not surprised by this honor. Ofelia has distinguished herself as a top performer within the Bureau of Engineering and is very deserving of this award. In her many leadership roles, including serving as Liaison to the Board of Public Works and Los Angeles City Council and working on our Proposition K Program: LA for Kids, she has always gone above and beyond. We are very proud of her achievements,” said Gary Lee Moore, City Engineer.
Award winners will be honored at the HENAAC Awards Show Gala on October 9, 2009 at the Long Beach Terrace Theatre at 7:00 p.m.
Rubio has enjoyed a stellar career with the City of Los Angeles for 10 years. She is currently managing the effort to restore thousands of miles of the City’s secondary sewer system (pipes smaller than 16-inches in diameter) to prevent spills and protect natural resources. She and her staff of seven engineering associates oversee construction crews renewing sewers across the city.
James H. Clark, Vice President, Black & Veatch (credit: CWEA)
The Water Environment Federation earlier this month announced Jim Clark, Black & Veatch Vice President and LABS’ President in 1991, as this year’s winner of the Engelbrecht International Achievement Award. The award will be given next month during a ceremony at WEFTEC in Orlando.
According to WEF “the Engelbrecht International Achievement Award is named in memory of Richard S. Engelbrecht, WEF President from 1977-1978. The award recognizes sustained and significant contributions to the furtherance and improvement of WEF’s international activities.”
Jim is Past-President of WEF and active in many of the Federation’s activities, including supporting the expansion of student and young professional outreach and activities.
Black & Veatch is a LABS’ sponsor.
Read Jim’s complete profile on the WEF website.
The CWEA Ops Challenge winners - LA Wrecking Crew (l-r): Mario Gomez, Alternate; Jesus Garibay; Paul Johnson, Captain; Jeff Valdes; Dale Dollins
Local members and agencies were big winners at the Annual Conference in Palm Springs earlier this year. LABS member and CWEA Past-President Dave Greenwood (LACSD) hosted the awards luncheon – handing out awards to dozens of agencies and individuals.
LABS very own newsletter, Sewer Leaks, was honored as Large Circulation Newsletter of the Year and Editor Wendy Wert (LACSD) received the award. Wendy, a LABS Director, TCC Chair and professional engineer, served as editor over the last three years – never once missing an issue. The editing reigns have now passed to Alice Kuo, also an LACSD engineer.
Thanks to member and sponsor support LABS was able to donate $1,000 to the Kirt Brooks scholarship fund. Past-President Patrick Griffith and former Treasurer Dan Gary presented the oversized check to CWEA during the awards luncheon.
More stories and photos after the jump…
