Creating the best processes through collaboration.
With the possibility of drought always around the corner, recycled water plays a role and helps shore up EBMUD’s long term water supply needs. As the Assistant Shift Supervisor in charge of recycled water, Jeff and seven operators at three facilities ensure the continuing treatment and delivery of recycled water for a diverse set of users.
Recycled water is used for irrigating city parks and commercial landscaping and in industrial processing. In Richmond alone, Jeff oversees two separate facilities: one that produces high-quality recycled water for the Chevron Refinery’s cooling towers, and another that treats water to an even higher standard necessary for the refinery’s boilers. “We’re saving millions of gallons of drinking water each day by serving treated wastewater to our single largest water user,” Jeff says. “When I tell people how much we’re saving, they’re all in on that.”
Jeff has worked for EBMUD in wastewater operations and treatment for twenty-two years, but in some ways his role as a supervisor feels like a return to his roots. His undergraduate degree from UC Davis was in Rhetoric and Communications, and he uses those skills right alongside the technical proficiencies that he has learned on the job.
“In the old days, being a supervisor was about hierarchy. But in this day and age it’s all about encouraging a collaborative team effort,” says Jeff. His background in communications helps him understand the skills and personalities of the staff of operators. He works to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard before a new plan or process is put into place. “If everybody has a say in creating a plan, then everyone will be more supportive when it’s time to implement it.”
“As a supervisor, the most important thing is to get everybody in the same room and give them an opportunity to put their two cents in.”