People Behind the Pipes

1. Describe your position.

Being a member of the Board of Directors can be as simple as reading your agenda packet and showing up for the two meetings a month, or it can be as involved as participating with other associations on the state and local level. I like to get involved where the decisions are made. My mom told me you can’t complain about something if you don’t get involved—so if you take my road as a Director, you can be very busy. I am Treasurer for the Alameda County Chapter of the California Special Districts Association and Secretary/Treasurer for the Board of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies. I have a fascination with how organizations are put together and run. Being on the Board of DSRSD has been challenging. There are so many issues that come up. Every special district is different. 

Director Georgean Vonheeder-Leopold speaks at a water recycling event.

My original focus when becoming a Director in the early 1990s was accomplishing repairs and expansion to the LAVWMA (Livermore-Amador Valley Water Management Agency) pipeline that carries treated wastewater over the hills from the Tri-Valley to the East Bay Dischargers Authority and to a deep-water outfall in the Bay. Being part of getting the recycled water program started has been another important accomplishment during my time on the Board. The community is now using recycled water to irrigate all public lands, which is quite an achievement.

2. What do you like best about your position?

I actually enjoy the discussions we have about large projects for the District. I’ve always been one to try new things—you’re never going to find out unless you do it. DSRSD has been called “the little District that could,” and we keep pushing the envelope. It hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve had a very aware and active Board that has supported this progress.

3. How did you get into the water/wastewater field?

I moved to Dublin in 1971 before it or San Ramon were incorporated as cities. I was just a normal mom working and raising kids when park operations got shut down after Proposition 13 was passed. I think sports are very important to kids, and I got involved with the soccer and Little League groups. Sports groups formed a coalition to lease the Dublin Sports Grounds and Athan Downs Park in San Ramon. We soon realized that meant mowing them by hand before eventually hiring a landscaper. I stayed involved in the community and helped with incorporating Dublin and San Ramon. I was appointed to the first Planning Commission and then ran for Dublin City Council, which I served on from 1984 to 1990.

My mom always said, “If you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” She was involved in things her whole life, and frankly I thought that’s what you were supposed to do. So I stayed engaged in the community and was appointed to the DSRSD Board in January 1992. I served until 2000, and I rejoined the Board again in 2009. The water/wastewater world is extremely fascinating, and we’re on the leading edge of trying to discover what we can do better.

4. What is the biggest challenge of your position?

There are a couple big challenges. One is having to tell a constituent “no.” That’s extremely difficult for me because my purpose is to help people. They may take it personally, but 10 times out of 10, it’s not personal at all—it’s due to some law or restriction we have. Another challenge is dealing with the District’s rates. You’re not going to be able to keep up with maintenance or look for new water sources if you’re not going to raise the rates. But you’re hitting somebody’s pocketbook, including your own.

5. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected serving on the Board?

It has been so difficult doing virtual meetings; it’s not the same. If I want to convince someone that a certain way is the right avenue for DSRSD, I want to be able to look them in the eye and tell them this is the right way to go. I’ve gotten used to the virtual format, but it’s been my first experience having do things this way.

6. What is something unique about yourself?

I retired in 2015 from a 45-year career as an enrolled agent in tax accounting. I had a federal license to do income taxes to represent people for the IRS. When the District is trying to adjust parts of our fees, having an accounting background has certainly helped me.

7. What are your favorite hobbies?

 I have 4 children and 11 grandchildren. Three of my grandsons are local to the Tri-Valley, and I love to do things with them. I’ve missed them during this quarantine.

My husband and I also love car racing, NASCAR especially. Whenever we go on a vacation, we try to make it where one of the NASCAR races is happening. I even went on my honeymoon for a race.