GOLF TOURNAMENT: 14th Annual Cal Poly SCE Tournament (April 22nd)

Golf Tournament:  14^th Annual Cal Poly SCE Tournament

Date: Friday, April 22^nd, 2016

Location: Blacklake Golf Resort, 1490 Golf Course Ln, Nipomo, CA 93444

Come play in SCE's annual golf tournament! It's a fantastic opportunity for students and representatives from multiple engineering companies to network. Lunch will be provided. We look forward to seeing you out there!

Questions:

Jonathon Centofranchi

Sports.cpsce@gmail.com

(760) 520-5625

POST-MEETING INFO: Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Implementation

We had a great turnout this past Thursday (2/18/2016) at Rooster Creek Tavern to hear Carolyn Berg present on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and what is being done locally to comply with the requirements.

For additional information, please see the County’s website:

http://www.slocountywater.org/site/Water%20Resources/SGMA/

Cara Martinez (L) and Carolyn Berg (R).
(PC: Wes Thomson)

BRANCH MEETING: February 18, 2016

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Implementation

Presented by Carolyn Berg, County of San Luis Obispo

California’s Central Coast Hydrologic Region relies on groundwater for approximately 80-percent of its water supply to serve rural, urban, agricultural, and environmental demands. San Luis Obispo County, one of six counties within this region, has 22 groundwater basins underlying 3,304 square miles of largely rural and agricultural lands. Historically, these groundwater basins have had no requirements to manage groundwater. However in January 2015, the State enacted its first major groundwater law –the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)—that requires local agencies to establish governance structures in order to sustainably manage groundwater resources, and to prepare and implement Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP).

Based on the State Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) 2014 Final Basin Prioritization, there are five high and medium priority groundwater basins mapped in San Luis Obispo County: Paso Robles (High), Santa Maria (High), Los Osos (High), San Luis Obispo (Edna) Valley (Medium), and Cuyama Valley (Medium). On January 13, 2015, the County Board of Supervisors adopted the SGMA Strategy and directed staff to implement the policy. The overarching strategy seeks to: “establish community focused Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA) based on cooperative interagency and stakeholder relationships in order to comply with SGMA requirements.” It also describes specific actions such as seeking the maximum feasible funding through grant applications, supporting establishment of organizational agreements, and maximum feasible outreach to all potentially affected stakeholders.

Carolyn Berg, Senior Water Resources Engineer of County Public Works, will present an overview of the new SGMA law, and local efforts to comply with its requirements.

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Location: 

Rooster Creek Tavern
200 East Branch Street
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

Date & Time: 
Thursday February 18, 2016 at 12 noon.

For additional details and sign-up, please click here.

BRANCH MEETING: January 21, 2016

Please join us at our January Branch meeting for a presentation by Aaron Hilton with MNS Engineers, Inc. on the "Los Osos Valley Road/Hwy 101 Interchange".

Topic
Los Osos Valley Road (LOVR) is an important and highly traveled corridor for the City of San Luis Obispo, ultimately connecting Madonna road with south Higuera.

The current (LOVR) interchange at U.S. 101 was built at the southern end of San Luis Obispo in 1962. As the city and population have grown, the interchange has become outdated and in need of additional capacity to provide more efficient driving conditions for its users.

Construction of the current project began in the fall of 2014 to correct operational deficiencies and improve safety, add a new bridge adjacent to the existing LOVR overcrossing and widen the LOVR bridge crossing over San Luis Obispo Creek. The project will provide improved pedestrian and bicycle access along both sides of LOVR, construct drainage improvements and reconstruct all four on and off ramps. Currently all of the Structure have been completed and the final portion of LOVR is being re constructed.  The work is expected to be substantially complete by March of this year.  A separate landscaping project will follow the completion of construction further enhancing the southern “entryway” to the city.

The City of San Luis Obispo is the project sponsor and implementing agency of this $24 million construction project. Caltrans will provide oversight during construction and for the life of the project for improvements within State right-of-way. MNS has provided construction management and inspection services during the construction of the project.  Granite Construction is the Prime Contractor on the project.

Click here for more information and to sign up.

Note

For those who are interested, there will be a site visit prior to lunch beginning at 11:00 AM. Meet in the Margie's Diner parking lot (1575 Calle Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405). Safety gear is not required but is recommended. Wear comfortable shoes.

Location

Madonna Inn

100 Madonna Road

San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

Date & Time

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Site Visit - 11:00 am

Lunch - 12:00 pm

BRANCH MEETING: December 17, 2015

Topic
Please join us at our December Branch meeting for a presentation by John Duffy with Yeh and Associates on "Living with Landslides". With the forecast of heavy winter rains caused by “El Nino” conditions, the possibility of widespread slope instabilities is a likely scenario. Under such conditions expedited recognition, assessment, and mitigation of unstable slopes will be in demand in order to keep infrastructure operational through the storm periods. John Duffy with Yeh and Associates will share experiences gained from the 1997/1998 “El Nino” event and other more recent storm events while he served as engineering geologist with the California Department of Transportation.

Location
Rooster Creek Tavern
200 E. Branch Street
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

Date & Time
Thursday, December 17, 2015 - 12:00 pm

Click here for more information and to sign up.

BRANCH MEETING: November 19, 2015

San Clemente Dam Removal and Carmel River Reroute

Known as the largest dam removal and river restoration project in California’s history, the nationally recognized San Clemente Dam Removal and Carmel River Reroute Project is setting a precedent for future dam removal and river restoration projects.

Since its construction in 1921, the 106 foot high dam had posed a significant barrier to steelhead migrations and restricted access to 25 miles of upstream spawning and rearing habitat. In recent years, the dam ceased to serve a useful purpose having lost approximately 95 percent of its storage capacity due to more than 2.5 million cubic yards of sediment that had built up behind it.

Upon being deemed seismically unsafe by the California Division of Safety of Dams, a public/private partnership formed between California American Water (SCD Owner) the California State Coastal Conservancy, and National Marine Fisheries Service to resolve the seismic issue as well as restore the natural ecosystem.  Overall, the Project is expected to improve water quality, sediment transfer, fish passage and aquatic habitat, and to restore natural character and function to the water bodies and upland habitats both within the project footprint and on a watershed level.

Water Systems Consulting, Inc. (WSC) has been managing the project for California American Water since 2009, and for the last three years has served as Construction Manager for this $83 million, multi-stakeholder project. Dylan Wade, who serves as the Resident Project Representative for the multi-year design-build project will discuss the project design, funding and multi-stakeholder process, construction considerations, restoration goals and approaches, and the projects lasting benefits. Nearing the end of the third year of construction, the Carmel River is ready to flow in its newly constructed channel.  

Location

Madonna Inn
100 Madonna Road
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

Date & Time
Thursday, November 19, 2015 at noon

Click here for more information and to sign up.

BRANCH MEETING: October 15, 2015

Pismo Preserve Presentation - Land Conservancy

At over 900 acres, the Pismo Preserve offers truly exceptional and diverse recreational opportunities. The project includes over 10 miles of existing ranch roads and trails that meander throughout the property offering ready-to-use routes ideal for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. These trails traverse serene oak woodlands and coastal ridgelines with stunning panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean stretching from the Irish Hills to Point Sal.  The Land Conservancy is currently working with the Wallace Group to design, engineer, and permit two staging areas/parking lots, restroom facilities, picnic areas, and ADA-compliant site features. Already underway are rough designs for a multi-use trail system that would add nearly a dozen miles of new trails and linkages to the existing ten miles of ranch roads currently on the Pismo Preserve. If permitting and construction can be completed under the ambitious time frame, the Pismo Preserve would be open for dawn-to-dusk community use this time next year.  Come join us for a presentation by the Land Conservancy and consultants as they discuss the planning and engineering of this landmark project!

Location

Rosa's Italian Restaurant
491 Price Street
Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Date & Time
Thursday, October 15, 2015 at noon

Click here for more information and to sign up.

BRANCH MEETING: September 17, 2015

Atascadero Residential Home Geotechnical Case Study & New Officer Installation

Dennis Shallenberger, GE, Principal Engineer of Earth Systems Pacific will present a spell binding, on-the-edge-of-your-seat account of a house that was inadvertently constructed on a landslide in the hills of Atascadero.  It is a story of low budget mentality, incompetence, and catastrophic financial loss for a local family who unfortunately put their faith in some very poor geologic and geotechnical advice. Dennis will impart a lasting lesson of the importance of geotechnical engineering in the common world. A simple overlook can lead to devastating consequences.

After hearing our inspiring speaker, we will meet our new officer Board. Our newly elected officers for 2015-16 will be installed this month. This year's Board brings new faces to our local leadership, and looks forward to leading our Branch forward!

Location
Madonna Inn
100 Madonna Road
San Luis Obispo, CA

Date & Time
Thursday September 17, 2015 - 12:00 pm

Click here for more information and to sign up.

PROFILES: DENNIS SHALLENBERGER, REGISTERED CIVIL & GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER

By Rebekah Oulton, PhD, PE
September 7, 2015

Member Profile: Dennis Shallenberger

Dennis Shallenberger is a Registered Civil and Geotechnical Engineer in California, and a Registered Civil Engineer in Nevada.  Currently, he is the Chief Geotechnical Engineer for Earth Systems Pacific, and gave up teaching part-time after 22 years in the Architectural Engineering Department at Cal Poly.  He is a past president of the San Luis Obispo Branch of ASCE and served for over eight years on the Advisory Board of the Division of the State Architect (DSA).  These illustrious credentials are even more impressive when you know the path that led him to achieve them…

Dennis was raised in Southern California where he preferred to take advantage of plentiful outdoor activities such as surfing, sailing, and riding his dirt bike, rather than school.  This passion followed him to U of Montana, where he took up skydiving to supplement his education.  He made over 200 jumps, despite that fact that an early jump (his 15th ) ended in an off-balance landing that resulted in several broken bones and dislocated joints in Dennis’ left foot.  Ironically, Dennis credits this injury with ultimately saving his life, as it rendered him “unfit for service” when the Vietnam War was at its peak. Instead, he learned sewing – to repair parachutes as a Senior Parachute Rigger, and he claims he can still work a sewing machine with the best of them.

Dennis’ career from there was hardly a straightforward path to into geology. Skydiving led to flying and by the time he was 20 Dennis had his commercial pilot’s license, followed by multi-engine, flight instructor, ground instructor, glider and glider instructor ratings.  He also joined the Missoula Rural Volunteer Fire Department and applied for medic training, allowing him to secure a part-time job as an ambulance medic, ultimately running about 3,000 ambulance calls.  

Eventually, his degree in geology took him back to the sky; upon graduation he got on with Christler Airlines, a commuter and non-scheduled airline based in Thermopolis, Wyoming, shuttling skiers in the winter and smoke jumpers in the summer.  After two years as a fire suppression and spray pilot, Dennis quit Christler to find his fortune in corporate aviation, eventually becoming a corporate pilot with Sorensen and Company, a civil engineering firm with a geotechnical division in Missoula.  On days when he wasn’t flying, Dennis would go out with the geologists to work on the drill rigs.  With the end of the war flooding the aviation job market with experienced pilots, Dennis turned his sights back to earth and the idea of geotechnical engineering as a career slowly developed.  

By 1979 Dennis and his wife-to-be, Diane, quite sensibly decided that that the winters in Montana were too severe to endure any longer, and they relocated to California, where Dennis pursued his Master of Science Civil Engineering (with a geotechnical specialty) at CSU Long Beach.  After completing his degree, Dennis worked  briefly for the Los Angeles Section of the Army Corps of Engineers, as a civil and geotechnical engineer, before he got call from former colleague Mike Sims, offering him a position with Central Coast Labs in San Luis Obispo.  

Since then, the company has moved, burned to the ground, changed names, re-incorporated, merged and re-incorporated two more times, but Dennis has managed to hang on, and he is now approaching his 32nd anniversary working for Earth Systems companies.  After Mike’s retirement, Dennis was promoted to CEO of Earth Systems Pacific, a position he agreed to maintain for five years.  In 2013, he turned the reins of ESP over to Fred Potthast, and Dennis became Chairman of the Board, a position he retains today.  He is now semi-retired, working only four days per week, but with his eye on cutting that to three days per week come January 2016.

Dennis lives in the Edna Valley with his better half, Kim, also a registered civil engineer.  He has one son, David who became an attorney in California and then for some yet-to-be-explained reason moved with his wife to Dallas, Texas.  In his spare time, Dennis enjoys surfing, motorcycles, hiking, bicycling and ocean kayaking. He has given up piloting, but still enjoys travel, his favorite destination being Alaska.

When asked to provide a teaser for his talk, Dennis said “…my talk is about a landslide; a tale of sorrow and woe, poor judgment, bad professional advice, and low budget mentality, all resulting in huge personal loss.”  I can’t wait to hear more!  See you at the meeting!

SPECIAL BPELSG SEMINAR: September 29, 2015

California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists

Please join us for a presentation by Ric Moore, Executive Officer, California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, who will provide an overview of the role and services provided by the Board, licensing procedures, complaints and enforcement procedures and case studies on Board actions.  This is certain to be an extremely informative presentation, and a topic key to all professionals practicing in our disciplines.  Bring your thoughts, questions and issues to have Mr. Moore address first-hand! The $50 registration fee will cover the costs of this presentation plus contribute to our local ASCE SLO Branch Engineering Scholarship Fund!  SCE students are encouraged to attend at the student half-price fee of $25!   Please go to the ASCE SLO branch website, www.asceslo.org, to sign up.  You may contact Steve Tanaka, Wallace Group, at 805-597-7161, or stevent@wallacegroup.us, for further information.

Location
Embassy Suites
333 Madonna Road
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

Date & Time
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
12:00pm - 2:00pm

Click here for more information and to sign up.