The team at El Toro Water District (ETWD) in Lake Forest, Calif., includes two professionals with a combined 61 years of experience in the industry. Ralph Palomares, sewer collections supervisor and industrial waste inspector, joined the district in 1980. Ron Hightower, operations foreman, came on board in 1979.

 

“Their diligence and dedication are critical to the successful structure,” says director of operations Dennis Cafferty. “Both men share their knowledge by training our own personnel and people from outside the district.”

 

Palomares received the 2010 Richard D. Pomeroy Collection System Award at the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) annual conference. The award is presented for long-standing contributions that expand the knowledge, improve methods, and reveal new techniques for professional development among wastewater personnel.

 

In addition, Palomares’ aggressive programs to prevent sanitary sewer overflows helped the district operate for two years without spills before two occurred in July 2010. The district won the CWEA Santa Ana River Basin Section Collections System of the Year Award in 1995, 1998 and 2000.

 

Hightower was the first district employee to receive his California Department of Public Health (CDPH) D-5 water distribution certificate, the state’s highest level of certification. He also holds a CDPH T-3 water treatment certificate. The training enabled him to help develop the district’s water conveyance maintenance program.

 

Hightower’s accomplishments contributed to El Toro receiving Districts of Distinction accreditation from the Special District Leadership Foundation in 2007 and 2009. It is one of the most prestigious awards in local government.

 

Trendsetter

“Ralph’s commitment resulted in a comprehensive sewer maintenance program that is compliant with regulatory requirements and is emulated by numerous public agencies,” says general manager Bob Hill.

 

Besides overseeing the 142-mile collection system spanning five cities, Palomares inspects all 200 restaurants in the area as part of the district’s FOG program. As a member of the Orange County Waste Discharge Requirement Committee, he discusses the effects new rules will have on sanitation agencies and cities in the county before presenting them with the committee’s evaluations.

 

“Ralph’s thorough understanding of the economic and regulatory issues facing the business community when it comes to FOG and pretreatment source control motivated him to evaluate affective sewer treatment alternatives at reasonable cost,” says Hill. “His achievements have encouraged business development and re-development.”

 

To protect the county’s million-dollar beaches from sanitary sewer overflows, Palomares developed aggressive programs to combat roots, inflow and infiltration (I&I), and calcium deposits in the mains. Once the lines flowed freely, he told his crews to focus on roots collecting grease and disposable wipes in homeowners’ laterals. “They cut and jet them from the cleanout to the main, or advise residents to call a plumber if there is no cleanout,” he says.

 

Community leader

For 20 years, Palomares has been a member of the Orange County district attorney’s Strike Force, an environmental crimes unit targeting illegal dumping of grease and other pollutants. His membership ensures that authorities notify him if companies under investigation or with a conviction are operating in the area.

 

Since 2003, Palomares has been teaching statewide seminars on operating collections systems based on procedures he developed. He shares his FOG management program with any facility that asks for it. “Ralph’s leadership and contribution to the industry are highly regarded by his co-workers, the board of directors, regulators, and industry associations throughout the state,” says Hill.

 

Palomares’ latest challenge is convincing management of the need for the best asset management software.

 

Helping in crises

Hightower supervises seven technicians and oversees and inspects all infrastructure repairs, ensuring that 51,000 customers receive an uninterrupted supply of quality water. But his proudest moments came when he assisted the Laguna Beach Water District during the 1993 Laguna Beach Firestorm.

 

He helped the department again during the 1994 Northridge earthquake in the Los Angeles area. El Toro participates in the Water Emergency Response Organization of Orange County and California WARN Water Sector Mutual Aid programs.

 

“Those were exciting days,” says Hightower. “During the firestorms, our unit patrolled the entire neighborhood, closing valves and shutting off services to help build up water pressure in the fire hydrants.”

 

After the earthquake, High-tower helped repair damaged water-lines, digging with pick and shovel to reach them. The quake had sheared the cast-iron bell-and-spigot pipes or pushed them inside each other, fracturing the bells. Hightower helped cut out the damaged sections and replace them with cast-iron or ductile iron pipe.

 

Lots of outreach

Hightower served 25 years on the district’s Safety Committee and now serves on the Emergency Preparedness Committee. “I enjoy meeting people,” he says. He distributes information at training sessions for Citizens Emergency Response Teams and presents seminars on water emergency preparedness in the community.

 

The district also sponsors a water conservation booth at local events, and Hightower is an integral member of the outreach team. His duties include talking up the benefits of a career in water treatment to junior high school students.

 

“I stress that I worked my way up from green kid to foreman, and that they can specialize in many different areas,” he says. “If they want their lives to make a difference, this profession is one of the most important industries out there, because people can’t live without water.”

 

Hightower’s concerns focus on how to replace aging infrastructure and who will do the work in the future. “Thirty percent of district workforces in the state will retire in the next five to 10 years,” he says. “That’s a lot of knowledge walking out the door if we can’t capture it.”

 

Though 10 years from retirement, Hightower sees himself working three to four days per week. “I’d like to stay in the water industry,” he says. “The district is considering that option because it wants to keep us as mentors and experienced workers.”