2/26

The District is looking for four interns to work this summer; college students interested in careers in the water industry.

This year, the District is looking for students who are interested in engineering, planning or water resources.

New this year to help in the recruiting for the positions is a video that features last year's interns along with former interns Jennifer Reyes, Yuan Liu and Bryan Perkins who have been hired permanently by the District.

This is the third video the District has produced to try to encourage students to apply for these internships.

If you know students who may be interested in these paid part-time positions, send them to this link for more information and an application.

2/25

An act of kindness on Monday by CCWD's Matt Underwood and Jon Adams has landed their photos on the
internet newspaper Claycord.com.

Matt and Jon are seen pushing a stalled car out of an intersection at Denkinger and Wilson in Concord. In a brief story, it stated: "The two guys in the truck — in seconds — hopped out of the truck and assisted the woman by helping her to push her car safely out of the way even before other motorists, including myself, knew exactly what was going on. Three cheers to these guys."

Even the normally-caustic comments were kind, with one person stating: "Hooray for nice guys."

and for good measure: "Random Act of Kindness. . . CCWD guys stand tall. . . ."

CCWD recognizes its employees' good deed and they reflect the commitment we all have to the members of the community we serve beyond being the water provider, we are a neighbor and invested in the people of Central and Eastern Contra Costa County.

2/23

Nearly 7,000 fishing access passes have been sold at Los Vaqueros in 2015, an increase of
about 93% over the same period in 2014 and an increase of about 175% compared to the same period in 2013.

The District continues to stock the reservoir with trout, adding approximately 1,000 pounds per week. The average size of trout being is 1 to 2 pounds, but a number of trout in the 5 to 10 pound range are also being caught.

In the month of January, 21 trout over eight pounds each were caught,including a record breaking trout weighing 16.42 pounds.

Stripers and largemouth bass continue to be caught as well. Most fishing is on the south side of the Reservoir where the Marina facilities provide amenities not available on the north side.

But there has been a small increase in fishing from the north side of the reservoir as well. The increased fishing numbers are a result of great fishing conditions, improving
habitat in the reservoir, ongoing efforts to enhance the fishing experience, and
a significant recent increase in positive media exposure.

2/23

Listed below are partial minutes from the Feb 12 Department Managers' Meeting.To see the complete minutes, please look here.

Safety Issues

Pete Schoemann brought up a situation that occurred at Randall Bold; an employee with a history of bronchitis had concerns that the pressure release of ozone might be aggravating his illness. An evaluation is in process, Dave Huey added that a leaking valve had been found and the effects were still under investigation.

Staff Recognition

Desiree Castello voiced her appreciation of Peter Stabb and his exemplary support in coordinating the DC moves. She also passed along Dominic DeBellis’ thanks to Steve Arnold and his crew for excavating untreated water pipes in East County and to Shawn Kelly and the Meter Shop staff for addressing metering issues on Marsh Creek Rd.

On behalf of Human Resources, Margaret Ramirez thanked:
• Steve Arnold, Dan Gonsalves and Troy Railsback for their assistance with the MSEO practical exams.
• Nicole Quesada, Daryl Hensler, Steve Arnold, David Perez and Butch Martinez for helping with the Maintenance Mechanic practical exams.
• Bill Bakker for notifying Risk and Safety about the incident on Shelly Drive.

Michele Bautista thanked Jamie Elsberry for filling in for her at the end of January. She did a great job.

Mary Neher thanked Scott Uyeno and Stephen Sandberg for their assistance with procuring and installing a fax machine and fax line for the new Board member, Director Holdaway.

On behalf of the Engineering Department:
• James Larot thanked the following staff:
 Neil Herrick, Dominic DeBellis, Ryan Lindsay, Nick Overstreet, Charlie Wise, Tom Ramirez, and Scott Nelson for their support during a two-day outage on the Port Costa Reservoir Pipeline Replacement Project.

 Lance Hartung and Luke Swann for their support during the Flood Isolation Structure sluice gate start-up on the Canal Replacement Project, Segment 2.

 David Perez and Luke Swann for their support during Pumping Plant 1 flow tests on the Canal Replacement Project, Segment 2.

• Peter Stabb thanked the following staff:
 The IS team for ensuring computer/phone systems were working correctly during the staff relocation.
 Ilia Filatov (Fil) for quickly addressing work requests during the staff relocation.
 Ken Swenson for hooking up the stand-by generator for the modular building so we had lights until PG&E service was established.
 Curtis Faletti for changing the electrical receptacle in the EOC to accommodate the Customer Service copier.
Jeff Quimby thanked Lizz Cook and Tom Cranmer for their assistance researching the Castle Rock Assessment District

Lizz Cook and Tom Cranmer thanked Mary Neher for supporting a research project related to Castle Rock Assessment District.

Matthew Novak thanked Dino for providing information regarding a property that backs up to the Canal in East County and information related to a customer complaint at Midhill.

Shelly Wise thanked Jacqueline Chalmers for covering her vacation in January. She did a great job.

Jennifer Allen thanked Peter Stabb and the entire IS Team for making the move from District Center easy.

2/23

There will be a one-hour "Stress Management" workshop for employees on Tuesday, March 5 in the Delta Conference Room.

The workshop will help attendees identify their sources of stress and learn the coping skills needed to manage and reduce stress levels.

Please RSVP to Michelle Hulsey, mhulsey@ccwater.com, or Ext. 8033, no later than Monday, March 2.

Lunch will be provided to those who RSVP by the deadline.

Wellness points value = 5 points

2/19

The District's $687 million Capital Improvement Program and Financial Plan for the next 10 years is now available online.

The CIP identifies and prioritizes 51 planned projects along with the capital assets and financial tools required to successfully carry out the District's mission.

This funded level is $29.8 million higher than the previous plan. The change is the net result of progress on projects, increased investments in renewal and replacement of treated and untreated water facilities, and increased funding to begin to modernize the Contra Costa Canal.

2/18

There have been no injuries reported so far in 2015, the February Safety Newsletter reports.

There hasn't been a reported injury at CCWD since the day after Christmas. That's an impressive string of more than 50 days but not close to a record.

This month's edition highlights being safe around dogs -- did you know more than 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year -- and driving safely along Bisso where the speed limit is 25 mph.

2/18

Eight trails in the Los Vaqueros Watershed have been closed today to protect golden eagle nests.

Every year, the District closes trails near known golden eagle nests usually from mid-February to as late as June. Last year, three golden eagles were fledged in the watershed.

2/12

It’s time again to recognize an outstanding colleague -- and now a team -- for their contributions to the District.

If you work with someone who deserves to be recognized, nominate him/her for the Employee Quarterly Appreciation Award!

If you work with a team that deserves to be recognized, nominate him/her for the new Team Award.

Nominations for both should be based on the “Three Pillars For Future Success” which are:

• Superior Customer Service and being the provider of choice
• Optimizing Staff and Infrastructure, making the business case
• Sound Finances today means flexibility for future investments

The General Manager’s call to action for all employees is to get behind and support this direction.

All nomination forms must be submitted to Human Resources (or you can email them directly to mhulsey@ccwater.com) by 5 p.m. Friday, March 6.

2/6

A massive pump -- pump number four -- was removed recently for scheduled maintenance and overhaul at the Bollman Water Treatment Plant.

Ken Swenson sent these photos, the top one showing (left to right)Jake Wallin, John Joseph and Steve Winniford supervising the lifting of the 7,000 pound pump motor.

After the motor was placed on a truck, the crews removed the 59-foot-long pump, which weighed about 13,000 pounds.

Butch Martinez said it will take about six to eight weeks to refurbish the pump and its motor. He estimated the pump had been operating at Bollman for 10 years since it was last removed and renovated.

Bollman is shut down for its scheduled winter maintenance.

2/4

The move out of District Center is happening.

If you haven’t made much progress preparing your office space, you’re probably in good company—but the time to begin is now. The relocation contractor, Valley Relocation & Storage, has conveniently put together this
three-page How-To that will be critical throughout the process, including how you would like your new temporary office to be arranged.

Here are some tips to keep in mind throughout the move:

• Each person will receive a unique number for the move. Do not use another person’s number or your item may be misplaced. ID numbers will be issued during the week of February 2.

• Each person will receive a set of two labels: the first is black, which designates long-term offsite storage; the second is one of several colors, which designates the building to which you will relocate. Use only the color assigned to you or your item may be misplaced. Mark every label with your unique ID number. Expect no access to items marked with the black labels for the entire project duration.

• Label everything, including your desk, chair, bookcases and bulletin boards. If an item must be dismantled to be moved, label each part. Unlabeled items will not be moved.

• Personal effects, mementos and fragile items should be moved by the employee if possible to avoid accidental damage or misplacement.

• Valley Relocation will move plants and other items if properly labeled.

• Information Services will assist you in preparing your workstation and printers for the move.

• Vertical file cabinets should be unpacked before the move. It is OK to leave the bottom two drawers of lateral file cabinets full.

• The How-To handout includes a layout schematic for your temporary office. Please fill this out to the best of your ability and return to your department head. This will ensure your temporary office is arranged appropriately. TIP: To facilitate the return to your office after the renovations, make an additional schematic for your current layout.

If you have questions about the move, contact Peter Stabb at extension 8186.

1/30

If you have an irritating neighbor or uncle who thinks that all water service should be free, here's your chance to show him or her what their water bill is paying for.

CCWD's Spring Public Outreach Tour dates have been set for Fridays, April 17 and May 15.

These all-day tours include stops at the Randall-Bold Water Treatment Plant, Old River Pumping Station at the top of Los Vaqueros Dam. Heck, if the weather's nice, we'll even go on a boat ride.

After this tour, your wrong-headed neighbor or dull-minded uncle will appreciate the highly-developed skill and good work of you and your fellow employees, or see all of this big expensive equipment and think, "Hey, I'm getting a bargain every two months when I pay my water bill."

This tour is open only to adults. Sign up soon. Find out more here.