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State Water Board honors enforcement staff for statewide wastewater inspection work
Summary
The board presented a team sustained superior accomplishment award to three Office of Enforcement staff who helped redesign and implement a targeted inspection strategy accepted by U.S. EPA, contributing to the program meeting inspection targets (37 inspections last fiscal year).
The State Water Resources Control Board opened its Feb. 18 meeting by presenting a team sustained superior accomplishment award to three staff in the Office of Enforcement for their work improving statewide wastewater collection‑system inspections.
Brian Elder, supervising water resource control engineer in the Office of Enforcement, summarized a multi‑year effort to build a robust inspection and audit program, including development of a targeted prioritization scheme that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accepted. Elder said the new strategy set a target of 25 audits per year and that the program achieved 37 inspections in the most recent fiscal year, with 16 conducted by staff present at the meeting. "With the help of the staff here, we developed a targeted prioritization scheme that ultimately was accepted by EPA, which was a major milestone," Elder said.
Chair Joaquin Esquivel thanked Elder and the team and noted the board’s emphasis on serving pollution‑burdened communities via prioritized inspections.
Next steps: The recognition highlights ongoing enforcement and special investigations work and staff said they will continue to support regional boards and EPA coordination on inspection and compliance activities.
