Hot Topics

Ocean Discharge Legislation Dies SB 332 (Hertzberg & Wiener) was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee during the “suspense file” hearing conducted on May 16 and will not move any further. The action by the Committee was preceded by several months of substantial lobbying by CASA and other stakeholders in opposition to the bill. SB [...]

State Water Board Hosts Workshops on Collection System General Order The State Water Board recently hosted a series of workshops to discuss proposed changes to the Sanitary Sewer System Waste Discharge Requirements. The workshops across the state were well attended by CASA member agencies and other stakeholder representatives. Presentations and takeaway slides from the workshops [...]

Congrats Orange County Sanitation and Santa Rosa Leaders Help us give a big CASA welcome to Lan Wiborg, the recently selected Director of Environmental Services at Orange County Sanitation District! Lan comes to OCSD with more than 20 years water and wastewater utility experience. She recently served as the City of San Diego’s Deputy Public [...]

Sign up Now for Innovative Technology Seminars In September 2019, CASA and CWEA will offer one-day classes on innovative technology advancements for biosolids and renewable energy and the regulations that govern them. The workshops usually sell out so please register early. Please hold the following dates: Wednesday, September 11, at S.F. Regional Water Quality Control [...]

2019 CASA Priority Bills: Wipes, Ocean Discharge Ban and Ocean Denitrification Several CASA priority bills will be heard this week in the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees. Due to the sizeable costs associated with the bills, they have all been moved to their respective Committee’s “Suspense Files” where the committee sends any bill with an [...]

Hot off the Press! CASA’s Annual Salary Survey Now Available The annual CASA Salary Survey report is now available. The survey provides an unscientific snapshot with data from 40 agencies. It includes recent salaries for many employee types, a six-year trend table and other valuable information. For more information, contact Debbie Welch at dwelch@casaweb.org.   [...]

CASA Award of Excellence Entries Due this Week Acknowledge your team’s hard work! Apply for a CASA Award of Excellence by Sunday, May 19!  We invite agency and associate members to apply together or separately in four categories: 1. Innovation and Resilience 2. Organizational Excellence 3. Outstanding Capital Project 4. Public Outreach and Education Information, [...]

Ben Muñoz, Jr. General Manager, Selma-Kingsburg-Fowler County Sanitation District  How would you describe your job in a very simple, straightforward way? Five words:  Challenging, stimulating, demanding, satisfying and rewarding. What attracted you to this type of work? I was attracted to this work because of the opportunity presented to make a difference as a General [...]

Wipes Clog Pipes Keeps Moving: CASA’s Wipes Legislation Passes Another Committee AB 1672 (Bloom), CASA’s sponsored legislation on labeling non-flushable and flushable wipes, was heard by the Assembly Judiciary Committee on April 22. The bill passed by a vote of 9 to 2. The bill previously passed the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee [...]

Former President of the West County Wastewater District Board of Directors Passes Away Leonard R. McNeil, also known as “Mac,” passed away earlier this month. McNeil was a retired Political Science Professor at Contra Costa College and had been a District Board Member since 2014. He served on numerous committees throughout his tenure. He was extremely proud [...]