I have a new client as of a few weeks ago. The Donner Summit Public Utility District needs some assistance with public outreach and building relationships with their constituency. The district provides water treatment and wastewater treatment for an area in the Sierra Nevada mountains (including one of my favorite ski resorts, Sugar Bowl). We are reworking their website to follow a standard navigation structure. I'll be helping to open up two-way communication between the district and the general public; this is critical in today's climate.
Wastewater treatment (in California in particular) is a onerous process not only from the difficulty in treating the waste properly but in adhering to the requirements of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board which issues permits for wastewater treatment plants. Most of us, myself included, agree that regulation is important to protect the environment and human/animal health. In fact, nearly everyone associated with this industry that I have met has a full commitment to doing the right thing. It is just a bit of a challenge for the plants to keep up with strict discharge requirements while not breaking the back of the rate payers who absorb the costs.
Thankfully, good research and the efforts of bright people and companies has created exciting treatment options to help treatment plants comply. The sticking points are time and money.
In any event, I am excited to work with another utility district that is doing their best to provide service while maintaining healthy waterways and watersheds. A little money from the government certainly would help...
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