Twelve organizations and nine individuals comprise the honorees of the 94th annual California Water Environment Association Awards, celebrating those who have made significant contributions to improving the water environment in California. These organizations and individuals were selected from over 300 applications and received their awards at a ceremony April 19 in San Diego, California.
Recognizing excellence for 94 years, the CWEA awards program honors individuals, institutions and companies across the state that are leading California in engineering, wastewater operations, collection systems, laboratory and pretreatment programs. Recipients of a CWEA award must undergo a rigorous application process and two levels of judging by their peers in the water sector to be considered for this prestigious recognition.
"We are thrilled to honor these trailblazers who are making remarkable strides to safeguard our state's most precious resource," says Jeff Tucker, 2022-2023 president of CWEA and director of finance at the Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District. "These awardees demonstrate the innovation, dedication and commitment we need to protect our California water environment for future generations."
For more information about the California Water Environment Awards, visit www.cwea.org. The honorees are listed below.
2023 CWEA Awards, Organizational Recipients
Collection Systems, Large (over 500 miles)
City of San Diego Public Utilities Department
San Diego
Collection Systems, Medium (250-500 miles)
Truckee Sanitary District
Truckee
Collection Systems, Small (0-249 miles)
Ross Valley Sanitary District
San Rafael
Plant of the Year, Large (over 20 mgd)
Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District
Fairfield
Plant of the Year, Medium (5-20 mgd)
City of Oceanside
Oceanside
Plant of the Year, Small (Less than 5 mgd)
Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Encinitas
Safety Plant of the Year, Small (fewer than 25 employees)
City of Palm Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant
Palm Springs
Dr. Jenkins Research Achievement
City of Oxnard, Jan Hauser (wastewater division manager)
Oxnard
Engineering Achievement
San Bernardino Municipal Water Department
San Bernardino
Community Engagement and Outreach: Project of the Year, Large (Over 20 mgd)
Orange County Sanitation District
Fountain Valley
Community Engagement and Outreach: Project of the Year, Medium (5-20 mgd)
Ventura Water Outreach Team of the City of Ventura
Ventura
Community Engagement and Outreach: Project of the Year, Small (less than 5 mgd)
Mission Springs Water District
Desert Hot Springs
2023 CWEA Awards, Individual Recipients
Collection System Person of the Year
Miles Rex
Santa Margarita Water District
Rancho Santa Margarita
Supervisor of the Year
Robert Wilson
City of Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa
Electrical Instrumentation Person of the Year
Michael Wilson
Central Marin Sanitation Agency
San Rafael
Mechanical Technician Person of the Year
Dale Austin
Vallecitos Water District
San Marcos
Operator of the Year
Manuel Dos Santos
City of South San Francisco
South San Francisco
Pretreatment, Pollution Prevention & Stormwater Person of the Year
Kristopher McGinnis
Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
Whittier
Laboratory Person of the Year
Aaron Roberts
City of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara
Outstanding Young Professional of the Year
Jamie Johnson
State Water Resources Control Board
Sacramento
Community Engagement and Outreach: Person of the Year
Jennifer Kaiser
Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District
Vallejo
