(Photos by Kent McKintosh, LACSD)

On Nov 10th 45 members of LABS participated in a unique, behind the scenes tour of the rapidly expanding Space X manufacturing facility in Hawthorne. The event was LABS’ annual Industrial Waste tour and arranged by members of the Los Angeles County Sanitations Districts’ Industrial Waste Section.

Founded just a few years ago by Elon Musk, the entrepeanuer behind PayPal and Tesla electric cars, Space X is working on designing and building the next generation of rockets that will take people and supplies to the international space station, whicle also cutting the cost of building, launching and recovering the rockets. The company is building new rockets in response to competitions created by NASA to fund the next generate of private rocket launching companies.

According to tour guide and speaker Dustin Doud Space X has already secured roughly $3-billion in rocket launch orders from NASA and others. The firm has roughly 1,500 employees and is growing rapidly.

The firm has successfully launched and recovered two Falcon 1  rockets and two Falcon 9 Dragon rockets. The Dragon has a reusable capsule which they successfully launched and recovered and which the LABS tour group was able to take a close-up look at. It looks a bit like the Apollo capsules and will shuttle people and supplies to the ISS. Space X is working on the February 2012 launch of a Falcon 9 that is under NASA contract to take supplies to the International Space Station. They are the first commercial company to successfully launch and recover a capsule.

Based in City of Hawthorne just south of Hawthorne airport the firm took over an old 747 component assembly factory with over 1-million sf of space. Originally the facility was going to be turned into an RV storage facility, but today is a bustling rocket assembly factory.

Space X prides itself on designing and building its rockets from scratch looking for ways to improve reliability, provide additional safety factors and save resources. Their core competencies are manufacturing, production and testing. More than 70% of the rocket and systems are built in-house to improve quality control and reliability. The rockets are assembled horizontally because it is less expensive and less hazardous.

Once the massive rockets are completed, one end of  the rocket tube is hooked to truck wheels and the front  is hooked to a big-rig. The rocket itself forms the structure of the trailer. Space X  launches from Cape Canaveral and from islands in the mid-Pacific. The firm will also be launching rockets from Vandenberg Air Force base in California.

To learn more visit www.spacex.com.

 Established in 2002 by Elon Musk , the founder of PayPal and the Zip2 Corporation, SpaceX has already developed two brand new launch vehicles, established an impressive launch manifest, and been awarded COTS funding by NASA to demonstrate delivery and return of cargo to the Space Station.

SpaceX is privately developing the Dragon crew and cargo capsule and the Falcon family of rockets from the ground up, including main and upper stage engines, the cryogenic tank structure, avionics, guidance & control software and ground support equipment. Sign-up to tour this amazing new facility in Hawthorne and learn more about the next generation of space travel.

$30 CWEA members; $35 non-members; $15 students

Notes: ITAR Security regulations allow only US citizens to take the tour; please bring ID; closed toe shoes. RSVP today – tour limited to 40 people.

Dinner
Buffet dinner at Nat’s Airport Ballroom next door, including choice of chicken, beef, veggies and carrot cake for dessert.

RSVP
RSVP by 11/8 please:
alecm@jwce.com
or call Alec Mackie
(714) 428-4614

See flyer for more information

BWRP is a tertiary wastewater treatment plant that currently treats 9 million gallons of sewage per day (MGD). The BWRP was built in 1966 to meet the wastewater and sewer needs of the growing residential population and expanding commercial industries located in the City of Burbank. Originally built to treat 6 MGD, the City upgraded the BWRP to the current 9 MGD in 1971. The plant was upgraded in 2000 to ensure that its meets new stringent regulations raising the quality of the cleaned wastewater it discharges after the treatment process. The plant was upgraded again in 2002 to remove ammonia from the wastewater.

Time:        September 27, Tuesday 8:30-10am
Venue:     740 North Lake Street, Burbank CA
RSVP:       nicole.you@lacity.org
Parking:   On Lake Street, entrance of the plant is at Lake & Chestnut
Cost:          Free!

See flyer for more info

When:   Saturday, August 27th, 2011

Lunch: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM – The Founder’s Room
               Architectural Tour: 2:00 PM & 2:30 PM

RSVP:  Please RSVP to Hala Titus at titush@bv.com by August 19th

COST:  $45.00 Members/$55.00 Non-Members/$25.00 Students

Parking: Parking Reservations are under “California Water Environment Association” and each car costs $15 to park.

Directions:
The Getty Villa is located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, California, one mile north of Sunset Boulevard and approximately 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. From Los Angeles, take the I-10 (Santa Monica Freeway) west until it turns into Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) going north along the Pacific Ocean. Continue on Route 1 for approximately five miles to the Getty Villa.

Please note that visitors must approach the Getty Villa from the south. Access to the Getty Villa entrance is only from the northbound right-hand lane of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Turning left across PCH is illegal and any attempt to enter the site via Coastline Drive is not permitted.

See flyer for more information

It’s an environmental learning experience for children of all ages. It’s home to five coastal habitats and SoCal’s only coastal prairie. It’s an oasis. It’s an environmental cleaning machine for the ocean.

It’s the heart of Malibu. It’s one smart park. The Legacy Park Project, the centerpiece of the City of Malibu’s $50 million dollar commitment to clean water, is a cutting-edge concept with far-reaching civic, educational, and environmental benefits for residents, visitors, and the generations to come.

Employing state-of-the-art technology, it is a central park that will work as an environmental cleaning machine, reducing pollution impacts in Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon, and the world famous Surfrider Beach, and will provide a
living learning center for five coastal habitats.

Featured Dinner Speakers:
Bob Brager, Public Works Director, City of Malibu
Elizabeth Shavelson, Public Works Analyst, City of Malibu
Steve Clary, Principal, RMC Water & Environment

When:
Thursday, July 29, 2011
5:00 p.m. Tour
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Presentation

Where:
Tour: Stormwater Treatment Facility
(salmon colored building):
Legacy Park
23500 Civic Center Way
Malibu 90265

Dinner: Guido’s Malibu (walk next door)
3874 Cross Creek Road, Malibu

RSVP:
By July 22nd with meal choice to:
alecm@jwce.com or call Alec Mackie
at (714) 428-4614.

See flyer for more information

Long Beach Water Department Senior Operator Richard Salas will present several high-tech pilot projects LBWD is working on to improve operations and then lead us on a tour of the Leo J. Vander Lans water treatment facility. The facility takes 3MGD of tertiary treated wastewater from LACSD’s Long Beach treatment plant and purifies it through microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV disinfection. The clean water is then injected into a seawater intrusion barrier to protect local groundwater. Lunch on-site.

Please no open toed shoes or high heels / Limit 30 people / RSVP Today!
Pay at the door: $18 CWEA members / $25 Non-members /
$10 students or retirees. 1 CWEA contact hour available.

Where:
Long Beach Water Dept.
Vander Lans AWTF
7380 E. Willow
Long Beach 90815
(next to LACSD Long Beach Plant)

When:
Thursday, September 15, 2011
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Lunch:
Passion Fruit Catering
Sandwiches, salads, sodas and cookies.

Please RSVP by 9/12
alecm@jwce.com
or call Alec Mackie
(714) 428-4614

See flyer for more information

After successfully operating a 10-gallon-a-minute ocean-water desalination pilot and producing desalinated ocean-water that exceeds current state and federal drinking water standards, West Basin Municipal Water District is now taking the next step: desalinating ocean-water for its customers through an Ocean-Water Desalination Demonstration Project (SEA Lab in Redondo Beach, California) on a fully developed urban site. This facility utilizes limited quantities of full-scale equipment to refine operating parameters, perform additional water quality testing, evaluate environmentally-protective source intake methodologies, and assess energy e fficiency. IDA, CWEA SARBS and LABS now joint organize an exciting tour to the Ocean-Water Desalination Demonstration Facility in Redondo Beach, CA on August 11th. Water wastewater professionals and those are interested in desalination and water treatment in general are welcome to join the tour and socialize with peers at the beautiful Redondo Beach.

Date: August 11st 2011
Time: 6-8 PM including a gathering for happy hour around 7 PM
Location: 1021 N Harbor Dr, Redondo Beach, CA
Parking: Limited, carpool desirable

RSVP: Nicole You
E-Mail: Nicole.you@lacity.org
Phone: 323-342-6265

See attached flyer for more information

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.