People Behind the Pipes - Senior Engineer

Senior Engineer Irene Suroso looks at AquaHawk in the office.

1. Tell us about your job.
I supervise our Clean Water and Geographic Information System (GIS) staff. The Clean Water staff administer the recycled water program, maintain our compliance with regulatory requirements for backflow prevention and cross-connection, and oversee water loss and conservation for the District. GIS staff maintains the mapping system for the entire District. These maps are used by Field Operations staff, construction inspectors, and engineers working in the field or on capital projects. Additionally, my division manages the District’s Asset Management Program, which includes developing and maintaining asset rehabilitation and replacement models integral to developing capital improvement and capital outlay budgets. I collaborate with other divisions, and a lot of the planning work I do is to help Operations and Engineering. Right now, we’re working on taking a reservoir offline for maintenance. We want to make sure customers are not impacted during the shutdown. I use a hydraulic model to simulate the shutdown.

I also represent the District regarding the California Department of Water Resources’ water conservation regulations. I’m making sure the District is in good shape with forthcoming water use standards rolling out in 2030, such as indoor water use standards per person per day. I’m looking ahead to 2045 to project potable water demand and how much water we will need from our wholesaler, Zone 7 Water Agency. I look for grants to help fund future projects such as a leak-detection program, potable reuse, and recycled water.

2. How are you working on the drought and water conservation?
Drought is part of long-term planning, but I’m also working on short-term planning because we have a drought this year and possibly next year. I look at what we can do to meet our 15% conservation target and work with Clean Water staff on encouraging customers to reduce their irrigation. Our staff will be using AquaHawk to identify customers who may be overwatering and notify them to dial down their irrigation. With the current Stage 2 Water Shortage Emergency, customers will only be allowed to water once a week during the cooler months of November through February. Outdoor irrigation must be used between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. to reduce evaporation from daytime heat and wind, and we’re encouraging customers to use less water during those hours. Conserving water now is essential because climate change is unpredictable.

Irene Suroso bikes in the half Ironman in Santa Cruz.

3. How did you get into the industry?
I joined DSRSD in January 2019 as an Associate Engineer after working in San Jose Water’s engineering planning department for three years. During my last year, I was one of the planning group's supervisors. Before that, I was a consultant for West Yost Associates, a water-focused engineering firm, for 15 years. I’m from Indonesia originally, and it’s hard for female engineers there. It’s what motivated me—proving that women can be excellent in the engineering field.

Where I come from, clean water is not very easy to find. Water can be polluted when you receive it through the tap. It must be boiled to make it safe for drinking or cooking. In Indonesia, you have to drink bottled water, but that generates a lot of waste. The country does not have advanced technology, and there are times when the water utilities will shut down treatment plants for repair. During that time, people will go a week or two without water and will actually collect as much as they can as soon as they are notified it will be unavailable. At DSRSD, when we shut down any part of the system that delivers water, we keep customers connected by any means possible. In Indonesia, they don’t have that luxury.

4. What are some of the biggest challenges of your job?
It’s hard to get everything done. My division is really good at prioritizing, but I have a small team and have to oversee multiple programs.

My work on long-term planning can also be a challenge. When making projections, we can estimate and project, but the most challenging part is making a lot of tweaks every year due to uncertainties. How do I project our conservation five years from now? I look at the history and go from there. For our service area, more than 50% is newer construction with updated appliances, so how do I add more measures for people to conserve when all their appliances are water smart? We may not be able to squeeze more water savings from indoor use on newly constructed homes, so we have to evaluate outdoor water use through AquaHawk to identify water wasters. Through social media, the Pipeline newsletter, and public outreach, we can educate customers.

5. What is the best part of your job?
Some of the challenges are also the best part. I enjoy uncertainties when planning. I make my best projection using engineering judgement, creating models for demand projections, and trying to see into the future. I consider climate change and economic changes in our service area when creating my model that projects with the future. Then I check back to see if projections meet actual demand, and it’s great when they are close. I use that information to fine-tune the model. I keep moving to the future as I see our history. It’s a never-ending process, and that makes it challenging and interesting.

6. What do you like to do in your free time?
Outside of being an engineer, I’m proud to say I’ve been a triathlete for nine years. Triathlons fit my personality. I set goals every year. It makes me happy and excited when I meet or exceed them. Or, if I don’t meet the goal, I look back at what’s wrong and make adjustments for the next event. I’m motivated by the process—the accomplishment makes me happy. During a typical weekend when preparing for a race, I will swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run up to 14 miles.

Another fun part about triathlons is traveling. There’s a race everywhere in the world, and I’ll include a vacation after my race to enjoy the local culture. I completed the 2017 Ironman triathlon in Arizona, and my favorite spots for races so far have been Victoria, British Columbia, and New Orleans. Due to the pandemic, I didn’t compete for 18 months, but I finally did a half Ironman competition in Santa Cruz in September. It was rejuvenating—I couldn’t wait until I was back racing again and meeting with triathlete friends and community. I’m trying to stay local with the pandemic right now and am gearing up for a full Ironman in October in Sacramento.