Meet the New CASA Board Members
We are pleased to welcome Robb Grantham and Jackie Zipkin to the CASA Board of Directors. Both were recently elected to serve on the Board at the CASA Annual Conference and bring valuable experience, leadership and perspective to CASA’s work on behalf of California’s wastewater community. We’re excited to have them join the Board and look forward to their contributions in the years ahead. Learn a little more about Robb and Jackie here:

Jackie Zipkin, East Bay Dischargers Authority
Jackie Zipkin has over twenty years of experience in the water industry and currently serves as the General Manager of the East Bay Dischargers Authority (EBDA). EBDA is a Joint Powers Authority that efficiently and sustainably manages the discharge of wastewater from approximately one million East Bay residents to the San Francisco Bay. Jackie also serves as Chair of the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA), which works regionally on stewardship of the Bay. Prior to joining EBDA in 2018, Jackie served as Manager of Environmental Services at East Bay Municipal Utility District, where she managed the District’s Pretreatment, Resource Recovery, and Wet Weather Programs. Jackie’s career started in consulting, where she supported agencies around the world on a range of projects addressing sustainable water portfolio management.  Jackie holds a B.S. and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University and is a registered Professional Engineer in California. Jackie also serves as the Chair of the CASA State Legislative Committee and participates in the CASA Air, Climate and Energy Committee.

Robert Grantham, Santa Margarita Water District
Robb Grantham is the General Manager of the Santa Margarita Water District. Before being selected as SMWD’s GM, Mr. Grantham served at Rancho Water and prior to that as the Assistant General Manager at the Santa Margarita Water District. He also has a consulting background with extensive experience in water and wastewater management and regional planning. Mr. Grantham has a bachelor’s degree in government and history from Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania and post-baccalaureate studies in engineering science from Rutgers University in New Jersey. He is a regular CASA conference attendee and active resource for CASA, serving as a member of the Federal Legislative Committee and playing an active role with our renewable resource and finance programs.

 

CASA’s 71st Annual Conference Recap
Held August 5–7 at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, CASA’s 2026 Annual Conference, themed “Rooted in Resilience,” brought together water professionals, public agency leaders, regulators, consultants and policymakers to share ideas and strengthen partnerships across California’s wastewater sector. The conference highlighted the sector’s ability to adapt to drought, flooding, evolving regulations, emerging challenges, aging infrastructure and workforce needs while continuing to protect public health, the environment, and the communities we serve.

Through engaging discussions, expert insights, and opportunities to connect, attendees explored innovation, resource recovery, water reuse, infrastructure modernization, sustainability and climate resilience. Above all, the conference celebrated the dedicated people and partnerships that form the foundation of our sector and our shared commitment to building a stronger, more resilient future. Check out some of the highlights from the Conference:

Event Photos
Check out the amazing photos from the conference! You can view and download them here using the pin: 2180.

NapaSan Tour
Napa Sanitation District (NapaSan) recently welcomed wastewater professionals from across the state for tours of our facility as part of the annual CASA conference in early August, which was hosted in Napa.

Roughly 45 people joined us for an up-close look at how NapaSan works every day to protect public health and the environment while maximizing resource recovery- from recycled water to renewable energy production.

Hosting fellow professionals from sanitation agencies throughout the state was a great opportunity to showcase the hard work of our staff and share ideas with colleagues who face many of the same challenges and opportunities in wastewater treatment and resource recovery. It’s also a reminder of how connected our industry is — agencies large and small working toward the shared goal of safeguarding water quality and public health for their communities.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a tour, and to CASA for bringing the conference to Napa this year. We look forward to continuing to share what we do and learning from our peers across the state.

Generous Contributions to the CASA Education Foundation
Thanks to your generous donations, we are thrilled to announce that more than $17,000 has been added to the CASA Education Foundation scholarship fund through the Annual Conference fundraising efforts, including both the golf tournament and wine fundraisers. Your support is truly making a difference!

Looking Ahead
We are already looking forward to next year’s event, but for now, we’re grateful for the connections made and the moments shared with our CASA membership. Thank you to all who attended, and we look forward to seeing you at the CASA Winter Conference in Indian Wells this January!

 

 

Shape CASA’s Conferences: Join the Program Committee
Have you ever been interested in shaping CASA’s conferences and helping guide our biggest events of the year? CASA has a vacancy on our Program Committee, and we’d love for you to join us! Both CASA member agencies and associates are welcome. The Committee meets 2–4 times per year to identify speakers, themes and other content for CASA’s Winter and Annual Conferences. If you’re interested in joining, please email Adam Link (alink@casaweb.org) and Cheryl Mackelvie (cmackelvie@casaweb.org).

 

CASA Celebrates 2026 Awards of Excellence Winners
Congratulations to the recipients of CASA’s 2026 Awards of Excellence! CASA is proud to recognize the hard work your agencies do to provide an invaluable service to California communities. To see the full list of award applicants and a description of their projects, be sure to check out the Awards Brochure. Interested in submitting your project? Mark your calendar! We will begin accepting applications for the 2027 Awards of Excellence in March: CASA Awards Program. Check out this year’s winners below:

Excellence in Innovation and Resiliency

Public Outreach and Education

Organizational Excellence

Outstanding Capital Project

 

2026 Education Foundation Scholarship Recipients
The CASA Education Foundation (CEF) was formed to enhance the future of California’s clean water community by attracting new professionals into the clean water sector through scholarships. This year, the CEF presented $5,000 scholarships to five worthy students, including the fifth annual Bruce Wolfe scholarship. Learn more about the scholarship recipients and view their thank you videos below:

Alissa Yankelevich
University of California, Berkeley

Alissa Yankelevich is an incoming UC Berkeley student majoring in Landscape Architecture and minoring in Geospatial Technology, with the goal of using design to address real-world challenges of water scarcity and climate change. Her commitment to combining creativity and environmental preservation started with winning the Ocean Awareness Environmental Filmmaking contest, where she researched deforestation and raised awareness of climate change through her 4-minute documentary. Alissa is currently an intern at the Mark Thomas Civil Engineering firm, where she uses programs like AutoCAD and Illustrator to support the Graphics and Visualizations team. As an aspiring Landscape Architect, helping California communities adapt to cycles of drought and flooding is what makes the field so fulfilling for her.

Cassie Vass
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Cassie Vass is an environmental engineering graduate student at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Through internships, she has supported projects involving tank design, compliance and permitting, and wastewater treatment improvements for private-sector clients and local municipalities. As an undergraduate, she participated in the EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge, designing stormwater management solutions using green infrastructure. These experiences strengthened her commitment to protecting public health and improving water resources. She hopes to use her engineering expertise to expand access to safe, clean drinking water for underserved communities.

Michelle Tran
University of California, Berkeley

Michelle Tran recently graduated from the University of California, Irvine with her B.S. in Environmental Engineering, and is an incoming Environmental Engineering Master’s student at the University of California, Berkeley. She is passionate about collaborating with impacted communities to design nature-based solutions for water pollution.

 

Victor Vega
University of the Pacific

Victor Vega is a first-generation civil engineering student at the University of the Pacific with a passion for designing infrastructure that strengthens communities. Through his coursework and leadership on the university’s ASCE Mid-Pacific Water Treatment Team, he has developed a strong interest in water and wastewater engineering and the role it plays in protecting public health and the environment. “Receiving the CASA Education Foundation Scholarship is an incredible honor, and I’m excited to continue pursuing a career improving California’s water infrastructure.”

Corinne Nicholson – Bruce Wolfe Recipient
Stanford University

Corinne Nicholson is an incoming Civil and Environmental Engineering Master’s student at Stanford University, where she hopes to improve the energy efficiency of treatment systems to make clean water and air more accessible. She recently earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering with a minor in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis, where she researched water treatment systems. She has also interned with City of Vacaville Utilities and Sherwood Design Engineers. Her work in environmental justice with the Feminist Research Institute and UC Davis Global Affairs reinforced the importance of interdisciplinary, inclusive solutions. She hopes to advance equitable access to a cleaner, more climate-resilient future. Thank you again to the CASA Foundation and the Bruce Wolfe family for supporting my goals.

Hear more from the scholarship recipients in their thank-you videos linked here.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to our members for their generous annual contributions and continued support of the Education Foundation. Thanks to your commitment, we are on track to reach $110,000 in contributions this year. If you have not yet made your annual contribution, we encourage you to consider joining your fellow members in supporting the Education Foundation! Thank you to all of our contributors for helping make this work possible:

Associates 2026

  • CASA Associates Committee
  • Dudek
  • ENS Resources
  • Five Star Bank
  • Lystek
  • Stoel Rives
  • Woodard & Curran

Agencies 2026

  • BACWA
  • Carpinteria Sanitary District
  • Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
  • Central Marin Sanitation Agency
  • City of Camarillo
  • County of Los Angeles
  • Delta Diablo
  • Dublin San Ramon Services District
  • East Bay Dischargers Authority
  • El Toro Water District
  • Emerald Bay Community Services District
  • Fairfield-Suisun Sewer
  • Goleta Sanitary District
  • Inland Empire Utilities Agency
  • Ironhouse Sanitary District
  • Irvine Ranch Water District
  • Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment
  • Leucadia Wastewater District
  • Las Virgenes
  • North of River Sanitary District
  • Orange County Sanitation District
  • Oro Loma Sanitary Agency
  • Ross Valley Sanitary District
  • Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority
  • Santa Margarita Water District
  • South Orange County Wastewater Authority
  • Valley Sanitary District
  • West County Wastewater District
  • South Coast Water District
  • West Valley Sanitation District

Individuals

  • Andy Deal
  • Anonymous
  • Aren Hansen
  • CASA Staff
  • Dave Jones
  • EJ Shalaby
  • Gary and Cindy Darling
  • Lan Wiborg
  • Laura Romano
  • Michael Thorton
  • Mike Dunbar
  • Robert Reid