People Behind the Pipes

1. Describe your job.

Plant operators are the heart and soul of the District. We are responsible for operating the wastewater treatment plant, which receives an average of 12 million gallons of water per day from Dublin, Pleasanton, and a large part of San Ramon. The plant functions 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year and we operators are onsite at all times.

2. What do you like best about your job?

We are public servants, and we’re performing a vital function for our community. We’re taking care of our neighbors in a way they don’t even realize. I take comfort in knowing I’m one of the essential people making our way of life possible.  

During the 2023 New Year’s Eve storm, our plant treated over three times more water than it typically does. [Cracks and misalignments in sewer pipes can allow rainwater to soak into pipes from the surrounding soil, leading to spikes in the amount of wastewater entering a treatment plant during heavy rainstorms.]  I'm proud that we could handle that amount of water, and that our community didn’t experience flooding. That was a huge sense of accomplishment. 

It’s also gratifying to work for an agency that’s doing its part to be green. Methane is a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process, but here we put it to good use. We use it to help power the plant, which reduces our dependency on PG&E and keeps costs lower for our customers. 

Our water recycling plant has produced over one billion gallons of recycled water since it was constructed. Wherever you go in this area, you will see purple pipes carrying the recycled water that we create to parks, schools, and medians. Each gallon of recycled water used for irrigation means one gallon of drinking water saved for our community’s future.

3. How did you get into the wastewater industry?

I was working in finance before the Great Recession, and I knew I needed to find another career. One day I received an insert with my water bill advertising a plant operator training program and I knew that was my new direction.  

I was an operator-in-training at the Livermore Water Reclamation Plant and then joined Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) in 2012. I was the first woman hired as a plant operator in DSRSD’s history.

4. What is the biggest challenge of your job?

Working in wastewater treatment is like taking care of a living, breathing organism—there cannot be any malfunction in this beast. There are all kinds of interrelated systems and equipment, and you’re constantly monitoring everything. Even with the automated control system, it’s not like a radar that an air traffic controller uses. Humans must constantly intervene and make adjustments. 

Plant operators are often expected to find solutions or workarounds when problems arise. However, we have a great relationship with the mechanics who work at the plant. They support us and help operators troubleshoot any problems. That is one wonderful thing about this District.

5. What do you like to do in your free time?

I was a classically trained cellist, and I played with some smaller symphonies in southern California. I stopped playing when my youngest was born because I realized my expensive musical instrument would end up destroyed if left out left out. However, now that I am a grandma I want to start again so my grandson grows up in a house full of music. 

In my down time I also enjoy growing my own vegetables, traveling, and playing Words with Friends and Scrabble.