Water Task Force Meeting

Join us for a panel discussion on the impacts of water conservation and declining flows on water, wastewater, and recycled water systems. The discussion will be based on recent studies by the California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA) and will feature three utility panelists who will discuss their agencies’ experience with adapting to declining flows. Panelists include Mike Wickham, Water Production Manager for the Alameda County Water District (ACWD); Eileen White, Director of Wastewater at the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD); and Florence Wedington, Senior Civil Engineer at EBMUD who oversees the water recycling program. The discussion will be moderated by Katie Ruby, Deputy Executive Director for CUWA.

About our Speakers: 

Katie Ruby, PE
Katie Ruby is a Water Resources Engineer with Brown and Caldwell and serves as the Deputy Executive Director for the California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA), a non-profit corporation of 11 major water agencies that collectively serve drinking water to two-thirds of the state’s population. Originally from the East Coast, Katie moved to California in 2015 and has since become captivated by California water. She has spent the last 4 years working closely with urban water agencies in California, spanning the engineering, planning, and policy aspects of water resource management. In her role with CUWA, she works closely with the Executive Director and CUWA Board, facilitates technical committees on a variety of topics, and represents CUWA in a number of external forums. Katie has a Bachelor of Science from Duke University and an Master of Science from Stanford University, both in Civil Engineering with a focus on water resources.
 
Florence Wedington, PE
Florence Wedington is a Senior Civil Engineer in the Office of Water Recycling at East Bay Municipal Utility District. She has over 20 years of experience in the water, wastewater, and recycled water industry. She has been with EBMUD for 17 years. Prior to that, she worked as a consultant. Her current responsibilities at EBMUD include overseeing and leading EBMUD's efforts to develop and implement the water recycling program. Florence holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
 
Mike Wickham
Mike Wickham, Water Production Manager for the Alameda County Water District is responsible for surface and ground water treatment, water distribution system operations, water quality, and environmental compliance.  Mike has over 21 years of experience in the water industry including working at the Contra Costa Water District and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in the areas of water treatment, water transmission and distribution, and security and emergency preparedness. Mike has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and holds both a T5 Water Treatment Operator and D4 Water Distribution Operator certificates with the California State Water Resources Control Board, and is a BCSP certified Occupational Hygiene and Safety Technician.

Eileen M. White
Eileen White is currently the Director of Wastewater for the East Bay Municipal Utility District (District) in Oakland, California, which supplies water to approximately 1.4 million people and wastewater services to about 670,000 people. Eileen has more than 20 years of engineering experience in the wastewater, water, and power industries. As the Director of Wastewater, she is responsible for leading the Wastewater Department which includes planning, organizing, and leading the engineering, operations, and maintenance of the wastewater system to ensure efficient operations that meet all regulations. She also manages the lab which provides analytical support for both wastewater and water operations. Prior to her appointment as the Director of Wastewater, Eileen was the Manager of Water Operations and the Chief Operator for the District for 17 years where she was responsible for the District's extensive raw water transmission system, water treatment plants, and distribution system. Before her appointment as the Manager of Water Operations, she was responsible for managing the District's $189 million Seismic Improvement Program, including its short-term and long-range planning. Prior to joining the District, she was a Design Engineer for PG&E. Eileen has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from U.C. Berkeley, is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of California, and has a Water Distribution Operator Grade 5 certificate.