Antioch wastewater staff recognized by CWEA
Joaquin Gonzalez and Juan Arevalo are outstanding wastewater professionals.
Delta Diablo Sanitation District (DDSD) is proud to announce two operations staff have been honored as outstanding wastewater professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area by the California Water Environment Association. DDSD received awards for Operator of the Year, recognizing an individual with outstanding performance in the field of wastewater plant operations, and Supervisor of the Year, recognizing an individual who shows exemplary supervisory skills while performing their daily work.
Juan Arevalo, a member of the DDSD team since 2007, was presented with the 2010 Operator of the Year Award. He was specifically recognized for his role drafting new Standard Operating Procedures for training purposes ensuring consistency in the operation of the wastewater treatment plant; the lead role he took in DDSD’s internship program which provides real world experiences to complement the academic training received in the classroom; and, the complex work he undertook on the computerized Supervisory Control and Data System which had developed flaws leading to several false alarms.
Supervisor of the Year Award winner Joaquin Gonzalez has been with DDSD for 18 years, the last four in the role of Operations Supervisor. Responsible for scheduling and planning all work tasks and coordinating maintenance repairs by DDSD’s 15 Operations staff, Joaquin’s win reflects his collaborative leadership style of promoting team work before personal aspirations. Under his leadership, the Plant has recorded seven years of “zero violations” and has received several local, state and national awards such as “Plant of the Year” and “Safety Plant of the Year”.
Wastewater operators are entrusted with the job of protecting the environment with the upmost integrity, optimizing the treatment process so it runs efficiently, while ensuring discharge permit regulations are met – and formally reporting if they are not. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year, DDSD is located on the Pittsburg-Antioch border and serves nearly 200,000 residents in the communities of Antioch, Bay Point and Pittsburg. In addition to its 16.5 million gallon a day wastewater treatment plant, DDSD also operates one of the largest industrial recycled water plants in California
Arevalo and Gonzalez now compete against other regional winners for the California Water Environment Association’s State award in April.
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Delta Diablo Award
