Clean Water SoCal Committees
Under the governance of the Board of Directors, seven "advisory" committees meet periodically to review new and revised environmental regulations that affect the wastewater industry. These committees are made up of volunteers from the member agencies assisted by the Clean Water SoCal staff. Their purpose is to gain consensus in order to develop positions and submit comments to regulatory agencies during their rulemaking process, either by oral or written presentation. In addition, reports of the committees' actions are circulated to the membership to assist them in their compliance efforts.
Air Quality Committee
Staffed by our membership's technical experts in the field of air quality management, the committee meets monthly to address regulations resulting from the federal Clean Air Act and administered through the rulemaking processes of California's Air Resources Board, the regional Air Quality Management Districts, Air Pollution Control Districts and other regulatory bodies located in the Alliance's area of influence.
Committee Chair:
David Rothbart, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
drothbart@lacsd.org
Co-Vice Chairs:
Randa AbuShaban, Orange County Sanitation District
rabushaban@ocsan.gov
Alison Torres, Eastern Municipal Water District
torresa@emwd.org
Biosolids Committee
Usually meeting quarterly, the committee is deeply involved in both statewide and local regulations directed at reuse and disposal of wastewater solid residuals called biosolids. Although this activity is directed mainly towards biosolids land application and composting, the committee is aggressively seeking other reuse options. When reviewing and preparing comments on regulations, the committee works primarily with the State Water Resources Control Board, the various Regional Water Quality Control Boards, the California Integrated Waste Management Board and local authorities, such as counties currently enacting biosolids reuse regulations for their jurisdictions.
Committee Co-Chair:
Matt Smith, Orange County Sanitation District
msmith@ocsan.gov
Committee Co-Chair:
Janet Samala, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation
janet.samala@lacity.org
Collection Systems Committee
Meeting quarterly, the Collection Systems Committee acts as a conduit between the Regional Water Quality Control Boards' staff and the collections community to provide information, assistance and guidance in meeting regulatory compliance with implementation of the sanitary sewer overflow program, sewer system management plans, and the fats, oils and grease control programs.
Committee Chair:
Dindo Carrillo, Orange County Sanitation District
dcarrillo@ocsan.gov
Committee Vice-Chair:
Ralph Palomares, El Toro Water District
rpalomares@etwd.com
Water Issues Committee
Activities of the Water Issues Committee are driven by the promulgation of the federal Clean Water Act, implemented through state legislation and the rulemaking processes of CalEPA, the State Water Resources Control Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards. This involves a myriad of regulations intended to improve the quality of the state's waters. These rules are aimed at publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) that discharge wastewater effluent to either the state's inland surface waters or to the ocean. The committee meets quarterly and holds workshops for the membership to assist them in meeting the requirements of wastewater discharge or reuse regulations.
Committee Chair:
Lisa Haney, Irvine Ranch Water District
haney@irwd.com
Vice Chair:
Amber Baylor, South Orange County Water Authority
abaylor@socwa.com
POTW Energy Management Committee
The POTW Energy Management Committee is newly formed at the request of agency members to provide a forum for collaboration and exchange of information regarding energy production, energy efficiency, and energy markets as they relate to wastewater treatment operations. Initially, the Committee will meet quarterly to discuss different methods to control the cost and amount of energy utilized in the wastewater treatment process, as well to explore emerging technologies that may lead to further improvements in energy production and efficiency.
Committee Co-Chair:
Pietro Cambiaso, Inland Empire Utilities Agency
pcambias@ieua.org
Committee Co-Chair:
William Chen, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
wchen@lacsd.org
Wastewater Pretreatment Committee
The Wastewater Pretreatment Committee is intended to provide a forum for members to exchange information about industrial and non-industrial pretreatment issues; review developing federal regulations related to pretreatment programs; discuss federal and local compliance activities for pretreatment programs including inspections and audits; and possibly include the development of Pollution Prevention Programs.
Committee Co-Chair:
Robert Grigg, Encina Wastewater Authority
rgrigg@encinajpa.com
Committee Co-Chair:
Katie Greenwood, SOCWA
kgreenwood@socwa.com
About Clean Water SoCal
Clean Water SoCal is a non-profit corporation organized to help ensure that regulations affecting POTWs and collection systems are reasonable and in the public's best interest.
