INLAND EMPIRE, CA – The Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA/Agency) received four awards from the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) during their Annual Conference in San Diego, CA. The four award categories and recognitions received at the State level were: Crystal Crucible Award – Awarded to IEUA Laboratory Scientist II Supriti Shrestha, PICK Award – Awarded to Manager of Maintenance Robert Delgado, first place for the Community Engagement and Outreach: Film Festival – Coffee with the General Manager Series, and second place for the Gimmicks and Gadgets – Electrical Vault Lifting Device.
CWEA is committed to empowering, educating and connecting water professionals to protect public health and the environment. The CWEA awards highlight outstanding contributions to the water industry and celebrate the agencies and individuals who lead the way in the protection and enhancement of the water environment.
“The Agency prides itself on the development of programs and initiatives that help us to fulfill our responsibility as a Steward of the Region,” said IEUA Board President Marco Tule. “CWEA addresses real-time issues and develops cutting-edge training to shape the future of wastewater, and I am humbled to be a part of an Agency whose staff play a critical role in aiding this mission.”
The Crystal Crucible Award was presented to Laboratory Scientist II Supriti Shrestha. The award recognizes safety in the workplace, teamwork, education, and the promotion of professionalism in the wastewater laboratory field.
The PICK Award was presented to Manager of Maintenance Robert Delgado. PICK, an acronym used to represent professionalism, ingenuity, contribution, and knowledge, recognizes volunteer efforts servicing the CWEA Collection Systems Committee.
The Community Engagement and Outreach: Film Festival Award (First Place) was presented to the Agency on behalf of its Coffee with the General Manager series. The series features IEUA General Manager Shivaji Deshmukh and addresses topics such as drought, wastewater construction projects, IEUA initiatives and programs, and water-use efficiency. Each video is produced completely in-house by the Agency’s External Affairs staff.
The Gimmicks and Gadgets Award (Second Place) was presented to the Agency for its Electrical Vault Lifting Device. The vault lifting device provides a safe, ergonomic, reliable, and cost-effective way for electrical and instrumentation vault lids/covers to be removed and lifted without expensive, complex tools. The device was designed and fabricated by IEUA’s Electrical and Instrumentation staff.
The Agency was also recognized at the local level in March during CWEA’s Santa Ana River Basin Section (SARBS) Annual Award Banquet, in which IEUA was presented with the Collections System (Small) – Gold Award, Safety Plant of the Year (Small) – Gold Award for Carbon Canyon Water Recycling Facility, Safety Plant of the Year (Small) – Silver Award for Chino Desalter I, and Engineering Achievement – Silver Award for the RP-4 Process Improvements Phase I Project.
“IEUA remains committed to the protection of the environment, our region, and operational safety within the workplace. We are honored to be the recipient of such prestigious awards,” continued Tule.