HELP NEEDED: SLO County Infrastructure Report Card

Opportunity Alert! 

The YMF is currently starting the process to develop a San Luis Obispo County Infrastructure Report Card. The report card will look at several different types of infrastructure and establish grades and comments that will eventually be published to the public. The process will take place over the next 9- to 12-months, with data collection taking place over the next few months. Following data collection, draft reports will be developed to be analyzed by the board and willing industry professionals with expertise in each infrastructure type. At the end of the process, the report will be submitted to ASCE’s Committee on America’s Infrastructure for final review before printing and releasing to the public.

We are currently seeking the assistance of professionals with expertise in any of the infrastructure types listed below, as well as anyone who wants to be part of the report card process.

Specifically, we will need experts for the following tasks:

 - Provide key contacts at local agencies that can help us with

    the data collection process.

 - Help collect and organize data.

 - Help assess the collected data and assign grades.

If you have expertise in any of the 8 infrastructure types listed below and wish to participate in this vital Branch effort, contact Seyla Ros at sros@rickengineering.com. We look forward to recruiting several industry professionals to help in this effort.

INFRASTRUCTURE TYPE (CATEGORY):

 - Drinking Water (Water)

 - Storm Water (Water)

 - Wastewater (Water)

 - Bridges (Transportation)

 - Roads (Transportation)

 - Transit (Transportation)

 - Public Parks and Recreation (Public Facilities)

 - Schools (Public Facilities)

UPCOMING TECHNICAL SEMINAR - JUNE 18

GROUNDWATER LAW AND HYDROLOGY
(A UC DAVIS EXTENSION TECHNICAL SEMINAR)
HOSTED BY ASCE AT CAL POLY, SAN LUIS OBISPO
June 18, 2014

Registration for this year’s annual technical seminar is now open! UC Davis Extension will be presenting on Groundwater Law and Hydrology on Wednesday, June 18th from 9am-4pm. Seating is limited to 100, so sign up early. Registration deadline is June 11th. Contact Cara Martinez at caram@cannoncorp.us or (805) 503-4526 for further information. See below for registration and seminar details, or click on the following link to register: http://asceslo.org/Announcement/Final%20Technical%20Seminar%20Registration%20Flyer%202014.pdf

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COURSE INSTRUCTORS
Kevin O’Brien, Downey Brand LLP
Tom Elson, Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers
(see below for additional background information)

DESCRIPTION
This course is essential for professionals working in water resources in California. Effective groundwater management requires a combined understanding of the legal principles and physical characteristics of the resource. Acquire a working knowledge of groundwater law and hydrology, and discover new developments in case law, legislation and practice.

Receive a thorough discussion of the characteristics of groundwater and the fundamental tenets of California groundwater law, including distinctions between percolating groundwater and surface water, the definition of basin boundaries, interrelated concepts of safe yield and overdraft, and different categories of groundwater rights. Examine alternative problem-solving approaches to address specific groundwater allocation and quality problems, such as management plans, physical solutions and court adjudication. You will also review case studies from groundwater disputes throughout California. Participants are encouraged to relate their own case studies and specific problems during the course.

Take advantage of this great opportunity being offered to our local professionals. This course is usually several hundred dollars per person. Sign up now before it fills up.

LOCATION
Cal Poly, Building 3, Room 213 (Business Silo)
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

DATE & TIME:
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

MENU
Lunch will be provided. Includes chips, cookies, a drink, and your choice of the following:
 - Turkey Sandwich
 - Roast Beef Sandwich
 - Veggie Sandwich

COST
$100 per person until June 6th
$120 per person from June 6th—June 11th
 - Parking is not included in the cost. A day pass will need to be purchased on campus for $5 the day of the seminar.
 - Mail your form and check or cash to Cara Martinez, 1050 Southwood Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Please make checks payable to ASCE.

REGISTRATION
Seats are limited, registration deadline is June 11th.
First come, first serve basis, but priority seating for ASCE members until May 30th.
To register, click on the following link: http://asceslo.org/Announcement/Final%20Technical%20Seminar%20Registration%20Flyer%202014.pdf

PLEASE NOTE
Payments are non-refundable.
Email confirmation will be sent once you are enrolled.

CONTACT
For questions regarding the seminar, please contact:
Cara Martinez, ASCE SLO Vice President
caram@cannoncorp.us
(805) 503-4526

OUTLINE/AGENDA
9:00-9:15 Introduction and Course Overview
9:15-10:15 Groundwater Hydrology Concepts
 - Basic Concepts
 - Basins and Sub-Basins
 - Safe Yield and Overdraft
 - Well Interference
10:15-10:30 BREAK
10:30-11:45 California Law of Groundwater Rights
 - Types of Groundwater Rights
 - Priority Rules
 - Prescriptive Rights
11:45-1:00 LUNCH
1:00-1:30 Legal Classification of Groundwater
1:30-2:00 Adjudications, Groundwater Management Alternatives, and CASGEM
2:00-2:45 Conjunctive Use and Water Transfers Involving Groundwater
 - What is Conjunctive Use?
 - Examples of Conjunctive Use Projects
 - Water Transfers Involving Groundwater
2:45-3:00 BREAK
3:00-4:00 Case Study: The Santa Maria Valley Basin

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COURSE INSTRUCTORS' BIO

GROUNDWATER LAW AND HYDROLOGY
UC Davis Extension (http://www.extension.ucdavis.edu/)

Kevin O’Brien is a Senior Partner and former Managing Partner of
Downey Brand LLP. With more than 25 years of experience in water
law, Kevin assists clients throughout California in water rights, water
quality, endangered species and environmental matters. His clients
include private landowners, water districts, cities, counties, real estate
developers, wineries and mining companies. He litigates water cases
in state and federal courts and handles major water-related
administrative hearings. He also negotiates agreements for the
purchase and sale of water rights and contractual entitlements to
water. Kevin is a member of the American Bar Association
Environment, Energy and Resources Section and Past Chair; Water
Resources Committee and a member of Association of California
Water Agencies (ACWA), State Legislative Committee.

Tom Elson is a principal with the Woodland firm Luhdorff &
Scalmanini Consulting Engineers. He has 35 years of professional
experience with engineering, production and injection wells, and
groundwater. Prior to joining Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Mr. Elson worked
in the petroleum industry on wells and production problems. Current
work assignments include groundwater exploration and development
projects, groundwater impact analyses for CEQA, preparation of
groundwater management plans under AB 3030, Water Supply
Assessments under SB 610, and design and evaluation of
groundwater storage projects. He has also assisted with permitting
two Class I deep injection wells in California under EPA’s
Underground Injection Control Program. Mr. Elson has B.S. and M.S.
degrees from Stanford University.

CAL POLY CIVIL ENGINEERING SHOWCASE

CAL POLY, SAN LUIS OBISPO
DEPT. OF CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Industry Practitioners, Colleagues, Members of the Community, Guest Speakers, and Fellow Faculty; Good Afternoon, 

On behalf of the Department of Civil Engineering, it is our pleasure to invite you to the Cal Poly Civil Engineering Senior Design Showcase for 2014 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm).  This Showcase (specific to Civil Engineering) is an event where students, faculty, and industry members come together to see this year’s Civil Engineering student projects.  The event will be located at the Cal Poly Advanced Technology Laboratories (Bldg 007) in San Luis Obispo, CA (Cal Poly ATL).   

This year’s project was the Johnson Avenue Housing Project.  Senior Design I & II serve as both a capstone to our undergraduate students’ educational careers and a cornerstone to our future alumni’s professional careers. Thus, this course is central to our students bridging the gap between the theory addressed in their courses and the application that they will face in industry. Their designs are a culmination of six months of effort from 20 design teams each consisting of 5-6 graduating seniors. Student design teams will be presenting their work in an open forum interactive poster session.  Please note that our Award Winning Canoe and Bridge Teams will also be presenting a poster/displays.  

We hope that you can attend this year's exciting event!

LOCATION, DATE & TIME:
Tuesday, May 20, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm (or come and go any time in between 6:00 to 8:00 pm) at the Cal Poly ATL. 

Light snacks and drinks will be provided and you need NOT RSVP. 
Please feel free to forward this to anyone who has an interest in this project and/or the Cal Poly Civil Engineering Program. 

Please contact me if you need more details, direction, parking information, or for any other reason.       

Warmest Regards, 

Charles Chadwell, Ph.D., P.E.  
Senior Design Course Coordinator
Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, California 93407
http://ceenve.calpoly.edu
Office: (805) 756-1317, Fax:  (805) 756-6330

Paul Valadao, P.E.
Senior Design Project Coordinator
Project Engineer
Caltrans District 5 - Office of Design II
http://dot.ca.gov/dist05/ 
Office: (805) 549-3028, Fax: (805) 549-3480 

BRANCH MEETING: MAY 15, 2014

ANNUAL COMBINED BRANCH/SCE MEETING
SAN LUIS OBISPO BRANCH & CAL POLY SCE

Have you ever seen concrete float? Have you ever witnessed the Steel Bridge, Concrete Canoe or GeoWall competitions? Wouldn’t it be fascinating to understand what innovative techniques and designs were used to create award winning products? Well look no further. Attend this month’s Branch meeting and hear about designing “outside of the box” from our students.

Our local Student Chapter continues to make waves with their excellence and dedication to ASCE and to the Civil Engineering industry. In fact, the chapter was awarded the Robert Ridgway Award Finalist award, recognizing them as one of the most outstanding student chapters in ASCE. This month we are very proud to highlight some of the students’ recent accomplishments and projects. Fresh off their victory at the Pacific Southwest conference, their project teams are getting ready for national competitions in June 2014. We have the great honor of hearing from the students’ Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge and GeoWall teams at this month’s Branch meeting.

I am sure you have noticed the unwavering student attendance at our meetings this year. This is a great opportunity to show our support for the students and be amazed by their accomplishments. This month some of our participating SCE student members will be sharing their experiences on the project teams.

We will also take time to highlight our Annual SCE Student Scholarship recipient.

We look forward to seeing you there!

CONCRETE CANOE TEAM - CAL POLY 2014

Location:
Pappy McGregor's
1865 Monterey Street
San Luis Obispo, CA

Date & Time: 
Thursday, May 15, 2014
12:00 PM

Cost: 
Members and Guests $20 by RSVP ($25 at the door)
Students $10
ASCE Life Members, complimentary lunch.

Menu: 
Select from the following options:
• Chopped Salad – Chicken, Avocado, Tomato, Onion, Almond, Bleu Cheese Crumble, Creamy Balsamic
• Baja Style Fried Shrimp Pub Tacos – Onion, Cilantro, Cabbage, Cheese, Salsa Verde, 3 tacos
• ABC Burger – Avocado, Applewood Bacon, Irish Chedder, 1000 Island, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Local Brioche Bun
• Original Fish & Chips – Beer Battered Arctic cod, Garlic Fries, house made cocktail and dill tartar sauce.

Please RSVP by 1:00 p.m. Friday, May 9th, at the Branch web site (www.asceslo.org). Please attend the luncheon if you sign-up – some venues will charge the Branch for every seat we reserve, regardless of the actual attendance. If you have specific dietary restrictions or have questions, please contact Ryan Hayes, ASCE Secretary at rhayes@rickengineering.com or (805) 544-0707.

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Interested in sponsoring a future meeting?
A $200 donation to our scholarship fund will also bring you recognition at the meeting and in our newsletter following the meeting. Please contact Liz Moody at lizm@cannoncorp.us for more information.

ASCE Student Chapter 
Cal Poly SCE meets twice a month on Wednesday evenings. All members of ASCE are invited and encouraged to attend. Please see the SCE website for information regarding special events and ongoing activities.

PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

Lifelong Learning

April 2014

It’s nearly May, our month for highlighting the incredible talents and successes of our next generation of Civil Engineers – Cal Poly’s SCE Chapter.

Our Branch is small and in a more remote part of Region 9, yet within our borders is one of the nation’s leading universities for Civil Engineering. In fact, Cal Poly recently received the Robert Ridgway Chapter Finalist Award, which means they are among the top five university student chapters in ASCE! That’s incredible considering there are over 150 student chapters nationwide. Suffice it to say, we are proud of our SCE Officers, Student Members and Faculty Advisors, and grateful for the opportunity to spend time with the students through ASCE.

Each month SCE makes it a point to send student members to our Branch meetings – providing a connection between students and professionals, and helping to bridge the gap when students enter the industry. I urge our members (you!) to attend this month’s Branch meeting on May 15^th, where we will hear presentations about innovation, dedication, and engineering from Cal Poly SCE’s Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge and Geo Wall teams. Come help to highlight the successes of our local students and encourage their education and practice in Civil Engineering. And who knows, you might even meet your company’s next student intern or new hire! We look forward to seeing you there.

Speaking of SCE events, I want to leave you with one last great ASCE opportunity for the month. Do you like eating delicious BBQ? Better yet, do you like eating free BBQ?! Or hanging at Chorro Park? Or playing softball and frisbee? SCE would love to see our Branch members (you!) come out for a casual and fun event! So grab your sunblock and your family, and come join SCE, YMF and the Branch for the SCE End-of-the-Year annual BBQ at Chorro Park on Sunday, May 25^th, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. You’re welcome to bring your kids, spouses and friends.

As always, thank you for participating in our local ASCE events, and for helping to support our students! 

Carolyn K. Berg, P.E.
ASCE SLO Branch President

UPCOMING SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

Continuing Education Seminars & Workshops – 2014 Spring / Summer

Region 9, ASCE

Geographic Services is proud to announce the Continuing Education schedule of ASCE-produced seminars and workshops for the spring and summer in Region 9:

HEC-RAS Computer Workshop  –  April 23-25, Los Angeles

Project Management  –  May 15-16, San Francisco

Design of Concrete Pavements (NEW)  –  June 5-6, Long Beach

Design and Construction of Launched Bridges (NEW)  –  July 10-11, San Francisco

Seismic Design of Highway Bridges  –  September 4-5, Long Beach

For more information, please contact Jackie Simon, ASCE Geographic Services Manager at (703) 295-6143 or jsimon@asce.org.

BRANCH MEETING: APRIL 17, 2014

PASO ROBLES WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT UPGRADE
CITY OF PASO ROBLES, CALIFORNIA
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY

To provide effective wastewater treatment, the City of Paso Robles is upgrading its aging wastewater treatment plant.  Most of the existing wastewater treatment plant is over 50 years old.  As a result, its treatment performance is declining and it has become expensive to maintain. Water quality regulations have become very stringent. To protect the Salinas River, the Regional Water Quality Control Board requires the City to reduce its discharge of pollutants such as ammonia and nitrate.

Construction of the $36.4 million upgrade began 1 year ago and is now 50% complete.  Currently about $2 million of work is being completed each month. The overall schedule is 30 months but the 1st phase, which accounts for nearly all of the new treatment facilities and the new Operations Building, is to be completed within the first 22 months.

The sewage never stops!  Construction of the upgrade must be completed while the existing plant continues to operate.  This requires extensive planning and operational coordination to phase construction and develop temporary bypasses to keep sewage flowing while new facilities are constructed. 

Steve Wrightson, of The Covello Group, is the Construction Manager for the project.  Covello is a professional services firm that specializes in construction management of wastewater, water, recycled water, municipal buildings, and solid waste projects for municipalities and special districts.  Steve has worked in the engineering profession with an emphasis in construction since 1977. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Maryland, is a Vice President of the firm.  His experience includes construction of water, wastewater, powerhouse, pipeline, flood protection, and industrial facilities.

Location:
City of Paso Robles Wastewater Treatment Plant
3200 Sulphur Springs Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Date & Time: 
Thursday, April 17 2014
12:00 PM

Cost: 
Members and Guests $20 by RSVP ($25 at the door)
Students $10
ASCE Life Members, complimentary lunch.

Menu: 
Buffet catered by Stein's BBQ & Catering including: caesar salad; citrus glazed baby back pork ribs & ale basted chicken with housemade bbq sauce; Stein's famous beans; sweet butter pamesan garlic bread; and mocha brownies.

Please RSVP by 1:00 p.m. Monday, April 14th, at the Branch web site (www.asceslo.org). Please attend the luncheon if you sign-up – some venues will charge the Branch for every seat we reserve, regardless of the actual attendance. If you have specific dietary restrictions or have questions, please contact Ryan Hayes, ASCE Secretary at rhayes@rickengineering.com or (805) 544-0707.

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Interested in sponsoring a future meeting?
A $200 donation to our scholarship fund will also bring you recognition at the meeting and in our newsletter following the meeting. Please contact Liz Moody at lizm@cannoncorp.us for more information.

ASCE Student Chapter 
Cal Poly SCE meets twice a month on Wednesday evenings. All members of ASCE are invited and encouraged to attend. Please see the SCE website for information regarding special events and ongoing activities.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO

Organization: San Luis Obispo County Public Works

Position: Civil Engineering Technician II/III - CADD Technician
Salary: CET II - $4,985 - $6,061; CET III - $5,723 - $6,955

Application Deadline:  4/11/14, 11:59:00 PM

Website: www.jobaps.com/SLO/sup/b0314PM-00650-01.asp?View=
(Visit website for full job description and application.)

Description: Provide computer aided drafting and plan production for Public Works civil engineering design projects using Autocad Civil 3D.  Work with Engineers and Land Surveyors to produce required basemapping, plans, profiles, sections, elevations and details for road, bridge, drainage, water and wastewater construction projects.  Must have experience with Autocad Civil 3D.

PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

Highlighting Outstanding Engineers and Projects

March 2014

Last Friday, ASCE Region 9 (California) hosted its Infrastructure Symposium and Region 9 Annual Awards. The event highlighted a series of outstanding civil engineers and innovative and/or mega projects throughout our state. What an incredible honor to meet individuals and project teams that represent our industry so well.

This got me thinking about our own local civil engineers, planning efforts, and projects. Here at our Branch, we have a breadth of members who quietly make positive ripples in our industry. Our county faces incredibly challenging issues. From my own office, we deal with declining groundwater basin levels, finding options to improve drought reliability and creating community resiliency in the face of climate change. And each of you face dynamic challenges in your own areas of expertise. In this, we also find great potential in re-thinking traditional engineering, assumptions and processes. Engineers are constantly brainstorming new technologies, methods and approaches to these issues. I find this incredibly hopeful.

Each year, we encourage our ASCE Members to submit award applications (e.g. Outstanding Government/ Private Sector Civil Engineering Project, Outstanding Younger Civil Engineer, Outstanding Sustainability Project, Lifetime Achievement in Civil Engineering). This year is no different. We constantly face rapidly changing environments, morphing regulations, and dynamic community profiles. Because of that, our engineering industry is adapting and finding ways to stay ahead of the issues. Quite a few of you are part of that positive adaptation and would make outstanding candidates. We will publish the award requirements over the next few months. Start considering which engineer or what project might be a good candidate.

Your work already helps to uplift our communities, why not also let it uplift your firm and our industry? These awards will help to inspire other engineers and new methods for engineering. An added bonus, it highlights the positive changes that our industry makes, instilling more trust from our communities and residents. The best of luck to you each! Keep your eyes open for more information coming out on our annual awards.

Carolyn K. Berg, P.E.
ASCE SLO Branch President

BRANCH MEETING: MARCH 20, 2014

John Hollenbeck

DIAMOND VALLEY LAKE PROJECT
METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
RIVERSIDE COUNTY

You might be asking yourself, “What’s that giant hunk of metal John is standing in front of?!” Join us at our March ASCE Branch lunch and find out more about this mega valve and mega project.

Our very own local engineer, John R. Hollenbeck, worked on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s (Metropolitan’s) mega project: the Diamond Valley Lake (DVL) project. It is located about 90 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles in Riverside County, CA. The 800,000 acre-feet off-stream reservoir doubled Metropolitan’s surface water storage capabilities to meet seasonal, drought, and emergency needs. Metropolitan began planning the project in 1987, and the project began filling in late 1999. The project cost was $2-billion (in 1999$).

The dams of the project represent the largest earth and rock fill reservoir project ever built in the United States. A total embankment volume of over 110 million cubic yards of earth and rock were required to construct the West Dam, East Dam, and Saddle Dam. While the West Dam spans a 1.5 mile alluvial valley, the East Dam transverse a 2 mile expanse of small hills and a large alluvial valley. The Saddle Dam closes a small gap in the north hills. The resulting reservoir has a surface area of 4,500 acres.

The major hydraulic structures of the project include the 260 feet tall Inlet/Outlet Tower, the 16 feet diameter P-1 Pressure Tunnel, the Hiram Wadsworth Pumping and Pressure Control Facility which houses 12-6,032 horsepower vertical turbine pumps, the 500 acre-feet Forebay and its connection to the San Diego Canal, the 12 feet diameter yard piping, and numerous large diameter valves (butterfly, spherical, sleeve, and fixed cone).

The Diamond Valley Lake project was a Merit Award Winner at the 2000 ASCE OPAL Gala.

Mr. Hollenbeck is a California and Kansas licensed Civil Engineer with 30 years’ experience in management, planning, design, and construction of hydraulic structures and civil infrastructure projects. He was born and raised in northeast Kansas and received his BS and MS degrees in civil engineering at Kansas State University. He relocated from Kansas to California in 1994 to work on the design of the Diamond Valley Lake Project in Riverside County, a project constructed by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He has worked on several water related projects throughout California. He and his family moved to Atascadero in 2005 when he was hired by San Luis Obispo County to manage the Nacimiento Water Project. Mr. Hollenbeck started Hollenbeck Consulting in 2012 following the successful completion of that project.

Location: 
Atascadero Lake Pavilion
9315 Pismo Avenue
Atascadero, CA 93422

Date & Time: 
Thursday March 20, 2014
12:00 PM

Cost: 
Members and Guests $20 by RSVP ($25 at the door)
Students $10
ASCE Life Members, complimentary lunch.

Menu: 
Buffet catered by Pacific Harvest Luncheon including: mixed green salad; wild rice pilaf with dried fruit and sliced almonds; herb-roasted potatoes; farmers market grilled vegetables; roasted chick with citrus zest, tarragon and white wine; assorted artisan breads; and white chocolate chip cookies.

Please RSVP by 1:00 p.m. Monday, March 17th, at the Branch web site (www.asceslo.org). Please attend the luncheon if you sign-up – some venues will charge the Branch for every seat we reserve, regardless of the actual attendance. If you have specific dietary restrictions or have questions, please contact Ryan Hayes, ASCE Secretary at rhayes@rickengineering.com or (805) 544-0707.

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Interested in sponsoring a future meeting?
A $200 donation to our scholarship fund will also bring you recognition at the meeting and in our newsletter following the meeting. Please contact Liz Moody at lizm@cannoncorp.us for more information.

ASCE Student Chapter 
Cal Poly SCE meets twice a month on Wednesday evenings. All members of ASCE are invited and encouraged to attend. Please see the SCE website for information regarding special events and ongoing activities.