News
DERWA Board Appoints Vivian Housen as Authority Manager
DUBLIN, CA (August 28, 2024) –On August 12, 2024, Vivian Housen was unanimously approved by the DSRSD-EBMUD Recycled Water Authority (DERWA) Board of Directors to serve as Authority Manager for DERWA, the regional effort which provides recycled water to the Bay Area’s San Ramon Valley. Housen replaces Richard Sykes, who served as DERWA Interim Authority Manager from January 2024 until Housen’s appointment.
Housen brings over 30 years of engineering and management experience serving the Bay Area’s water and wastewater industry, including assignments as Interim General Manager for three different water / wastewater agencies, as well as eight years as the Livermore-Amador Valley Water Management Agency General Manager, a joint powers agency created by the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton and Dublin San Ramon Services District to manage the disposal of treated wastewater. For the past 12 years, Housen has managed V.W. Housen & Associates, a Walnut Creek based engineering company specializing in project management, infrastructure design, asset management, regulatory compliance and other engineering services. Housen holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley as well as a master’s degree in structural engineering from Stanford University and is a licensed professional engineer.
Housen’s DERWA Authority Manager duties include facilitation of DERWA Board meetings, coordination with member agencies, implementation of a recycled water demand management program, development of supplemental recycled water sources, and oversight of DERWA’s operational and administrative functions.
"Vivian is a very capable and experienced joint authority manager who brings substantial engineering experience and local knowledge,” said outgoing Interim Authority Manager Richard Sykes. “She will make an excellent Authority Manager for DERWA."
About the San Ramon Valley Recycled Water Program
The DSRSD-EBMUD Recycled Water Authority, DERWA, a joint powers authority formed in 1995, is the governing body of the San Ramon Valley Recycled Water Program (SRVRWP). The program was created to provide a safe, reliable, and consistent supply of recycled water for irrigation in Dublin, San Ramon, and Danville. The City of Pleasanton is also a customer of the recycled water program.
The keystone DERWA recycled water plant, the Jeffrey G. Hansen Water Recycling Plant in Pleasanton, can produce up to 16.2 million gallons per day of recycled water to irrigate parks, school grounds, sports fields, golf courses, roadway medians, and business parks. For more information, visit www.srvrwp.org.
Central San Wastewater Diversion's Temporary Demonstration Project
San Ramon, CA (August, 2021) - The San Ramon Valley Recycled Water Program (SRVRWP) is getting a temporary boost to their wastewater supply from Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San), a neighbor with whom their service area overlaps.
Located "up-hill" from the water recycling plant, Central San is diverting about 700,000 gallons a day of wastewater to the DERWA (Dublin San Ramon Services District, East Bay Municipal Utility District Recycled Water Authority) plant that is owned and operated by Dublin San Ramon Services District. The San Ramon Valley Recycled Water Program (SRVRWP) then turns this wastewater into irrigation water.
Yes, DERWA wants Central San's wastewater. It enables DERWA to recycle more wastewater into much needed irrigation water for landscaping in the San Ramon Valley, just in time for the drought.
The diversion is in response to maxed-out supply: On hot summer days, the DERWA Water Recycling Plant uses every drop of wastewater coming into the plant to recycle into irrigation water for school grounds, parks, golf courses, and roadway medians. Wastewater from Central San provides a temporary supply during consecutive hot summer days, so we can make more irrigation water when it is needed most.
The temporary diversion also enables DERWA to promote conservation of our limited supply of recycled water and to develop other sources.
History of DERWA Authority Managers
Through the years, EBMUD and DSRSD employees, as well as consultants, have served as DERWA's Authority Manager. Previous appointees include Bert Michalczyk (beginning Sept. 18, 1995, Technical Services Manager at DSRSD at the time); Laura Johnson (beginning Aug. 27, 2001, Senior Civil Engineer at EBMUD at the time); Robert Whitley (beginning July 22, 2002, consultant); Robert Baker (beginning Dec. 3, 2002, consultant); James Bewley (beginning Feb. 27, 2006, consultant); Michael Tognolini (beginning April 1, 2016, Manager of Water Supply Improvements at EBMUD at the time); John Rossi (beginning May 20, 2019, consultant); Jan Lee (beginning July 1, 2022, Assistant General Manager of DSRSD at the time); Richard Sykes (beginning January 1, 2024, consultant); and Vivian Housen (beginning August 13, 2024, consultant).
Post Date: 09/27/2024
Media Contacts:
DSRSD: Erin Steffen, (925) 875-2295
EBMUD: Laura Luong, (510) 287-0138
More Information
Contact
EBMUD
Laura Luong
Community Affairs Rep II
Office of Water Recycling
375 Eleventh Street, MS 407
Oakland, CA 94607-4240
Phone: (510) 287-1631
E-mail: laura.luong@ebmud.com
www.ebmud.com
DSRSD
Erin Steffen
Public Affairs Program Administrator
7051 Dublin Boulevard
Dublin, CA 94568
Telephone: (925) 875-2295
Email: steffen@dsrsd.com
www.dsrsd.com
Meetings
Board meetings shall be held on the first Monday in February, fourth Monday in April and September, and the second Monday in December of each year at 6 p.m. at the Dublin San Ramon Services District, District Office, 7051 Dublin Boulevard, Dublin, California 94568.
Next Board Meeting
September 22, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Location
Dublin San Ramon Services District
Boardroom
7051 Dublin Boulevard, Dublin, CA
