People Behind the Pipes

What is something unique about you?

After graduating from college, I interned for a summer with Engineering Ministries International, which included a week spent in Haiti providing free engineering for those who can’t afford it. We helped design a structurally stable school facility.  

After that experience, I organized and led three teams from my church to assist missionaries in Thailand with construction to rebuild after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. This involved a lot of physical labor that included mixing concrete, plus bending and tying rebar by hand with minimal tools.  We also learned to use local materials such as bamboo to replace rebar when material was unavailable or too expensive and hand buckets to transfer concrete from one location to another. 

Describe your job.

I’m the engineering supervisor for our Development and Construction Services Division that handles design review, permitting and inspection services. We coordinate a lot with developers of both residential and commercial projects. My staff review plans for developments, and they check for sewer or water capacity that is being requested to see what’s already been purchased, what capacity is available and the costs to purchase capacity and collect the associated fees. We make sure everything is according to District standards because eventually DSRSD will accept the sewer and water mains and related appurtenances and maintain them.  

We also coordinate with multiple projects with various entities such as Cities of Dublin, San Ramon and Pleasanton, DSRSD-EBMUD Recycled Water Authority (DERWA), Livermore-Amador Valley Water Management Agency (LAVWMA), Dublin Unified School District, and Zone 7 Water Agency.

I supervise the District’s inspectors, who coordinate with developers on what they plan to install including the materials they will use and how installation will be done. Sometimes plan reviewers and inspectors have to reject plans or submittals, so it’s not an easy job. It comes down to a lot of coordinating, communication and keeping our standards updated. Standards include specifications for installing things such as water mains, sewer mains, manholes, backflow preventers, grease traps, fire hydrants, and so on. The District standards can be seen as a recipe book for construction.  
 
We also oversee current tenant improvements if a business is converting, such as changing from an office building to a restaurant, as well as residents who might add an accessory dwelling unit that requires additional water and sewer. 

What do you like best about your job?

I like the collaboration with all the different groups from Field Operations to Capital Improvement Projects and Planning. I’m very fortunate that the people I work with are just good people and they have good attitudes. I learn from each of them daily and recognize their importance to the District. 

I also enjoy the project management side of my job. It’s nice to see an actual physical project completed.  I like to keep things moving and come up with resolutions for issues that arise. It’s exciting going from paper to actual construction. 

How did you get into the water/wastewater industry?

In high school, I did an engineering summer program with Caltrans where we designed a hypothetical road and bridge. At the end of the program, we gave a presentation to engineers on our designs and costs. I found that very satisfying, and that’s what got me interested. Problem solving was something I enjoyed as well as working with others. I received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. 

I started my career with Contra Costa County Public Works doing road design. At the county, they offered a rotation program that allowed me to go through planning, design, construction and maintenance so I was able to work with roadways and flood control facilities. I came to Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) in 2007 as an Assistant Engineer and became an Associate Engineer in 2013 after working on the Central Dublin Recycled Water Conversion Project.   

The Central Dublin Recycled Water project brought recycled water mains to four schools and three City parks to allow them to begin using recycled water for irrigation.  This project was constructed from 2012 to 2013 and required a lot of coordination with the City of Dublin and the Dublin Unified School District.  Due to the Great Recession, the majority of design and inspection was done in-house. 

I began overseeing Development and Construction in late 2019 and eventually was promoted to Senior Engineer in 2021. 

What is the biggest challenge of your job?

I think the hardest part about the position I’m currently in is working with customers that are not familiar with our Design Standards & Specifications and Development Fees. Many of the projects going on in development, planning, and inspections have challenges that require thought, discussion, and collaboration on a solution. Customers are often in a hurry and have a difficult time realizing projects need to be designed per DSRSD Standards and associated fees are calculated based off of our Rate and Fee Studies. 

What is it like being a woman in this field?

I have been asked by my friends if I feel a gender difference being in a predominately male field but I honestly have never felt that way at any of my jobs or positions.  I only become aware of it when I am asked and then I will notice that sometimes I may be the only woman in a meeting, but the reverse is also true where sometimes there is mostly women in a meeting and very few men are attending. 

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I enjoy traveling to various destinations, some new and some familiar, with my family.  I also enjoy singing random musical numbers and playing my guitar with my children.   

As an introvert, I enjoy having introspective discussions with my close friends regarding God, life, the various challenges that we face and how we overcome them, and finding the humor in the different stages of life.