INKSPOT NOVEMBER 2004
Greetings from the President, Ray Busch
IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER
Half of me would like to have my term One idea at the Board meeting was that as this Section’s President to end right we should do something really good for now on this high note. The other half is the members with their money for which saying, these are the good old days that we are the stewards. Next year President I will look back on. No I am not Paul Louis will lead the charge on that suffering from multiple personalities. I theme. Another good idea that came am however blissfully aware that this from the Board meeting was to give SFBS Section is in great shape and getting members free space on the section’s web better every month. Average site for links to their companies or attendance at our monthly meetings is agencies. up in the 60’s, our bank account is up in the millions (yen that is), and both the Just imagine scrolling through the links Board and committees are engaged. page and seeing a veritable smorgasbord offering the very best in POTW’s, design With just one month to go as President I and engineering firms, regulatory am fully aware that it is not just the agencies, manufacturers representatives, potential of Paul Louis, the Board local vendors, etc. This area of the members and the strong committees website would be like a local resource that I have to look forward to, it is also directory. the sagacity and familiarity that past Bay Section leaders bring to the table. I Lastly, if you only attend one Section saw this in full scale last month when meeting this year then I would like to Mike Donovan and Randy Fiorucci suggest that you attend the November participated in our Board meeting. Later meeting aboard the legendary U.S.S. Beverly James, David Jenkins and Grace Hornet. We were there a couple of years Chow were at the dinner meeting. It ago and it was tremendous. Hope to see reminded me of all of the good times I you there. have had through the years with the section. There were also a lot of new . faces that evening as well. It all led me to realize, I was just where I wanted to be. INKSPOT NOVEMBER 2004
Musings from the Editor…
In this time of the waning light, we have upon us the celebrations of olde… Samhain, Hallowmas, Halloween, Day of the Dead, All Souls Day. These represent the eternal acknowledgement that life cannot be without death. Nor can death be without life. Both are two of the same; different sides of the same coin. People speak to me about being afraid of death; or they say the opposite, that they are not afraid to die. I would propose that we ask ourselves a different question: am I afraid to live?
And, of course, before we can even ask that question, we have to ask ourselves… what does it mean to live?
To me, it means being open to experiencing all of our humanness. All the emotions, all the highs and all the lows. It means acknowledging that we are fallible and that we are vulnerable. It means respecting our feelings as much as we respect our thoughts. It means giving credence to both the inner and outer worlds which make up our reality. It means being able to forgive… first and foremost ourselves. It means being hurt and hurting others. It means being joyous. It means being sad. It means being with love. It also means acknowledging that fear is present in us. It means being compassionate with ourselves when we succumb to fear.
I know how difficult it is to feel. There is something about emotional pain that makes many of us run and hide… behind dogma, orthodoxy, bravado, denial and, most incipient of all, self-delusion. I know so many people who have shut themselves down to life; it almost doesn’t matter the suffering endured… one person’s experience of pain and suffering cannot be compared to another’s. It is to each and every one of us to decide how we will respond to our pain and suffering. We, alone, are responsible for our lives. And, unfortunately, many of us choose to live half a life; we respond to our pain out of fear. We choose to live life halfway, in the mundane, with only order, control and so-called safety as our guiding principles. But, you know what? With courage, we can choose to live life with passion and gusto and verve.
I ask myself the question when I awaken: is this a good day to die? If I cannot answer this question in the affirmative, I know that I have shut myself down to life. So, perhaps I can also ask the question: is this a good day to live? And, hopefully, I will find the courage to say… yes, this is a good day to live.
May each and every one of you find yourselves fully embracing life this day…
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.
~Richard Bach INKSPOT NOVEMBER 2004
CWEA San Francisco Bay Section November 2004 Dinner Meeting
Featuring: Helen Argyres, EBMUD “WORKFORCE PLANNING – BUILDING THE EMPLOYEE PIPELINE” Join us aboard the USS Hornet Museum for a discussion on the population demographics that will shape the workforce in the future, and the actions that EBMUD is taking to prepare for the changes ahead.
Where: USS Hornet Museum Dinner: Enjoy a Delicious Buffet Dinner Pier 3, Alameda Point $30.00 CWEA Members Alameda, California $38.00 Non-CWEA Members http://www.uss-hornet.org
When: Thursday, November 4, 2004 5:00 – Board Meeting 5:00 – Tours of the Hornet (free), Ride the Flight Simulator (small additional fee) 6:00 – Social Hour 7:00 – Dinner 8:00 - Presentation
Contact: Deanna Tanner at [email protected] for dinner reservations. Reservation deadline is Monday, November 1, 2004. REMEMBER – a reservation is a commitment to pay.
Directions: From Sacramento and 80 Westbound: Take 880 south and take the Broadway/Alameda exit. At the end of the ramp turn right on 5th street. After proceeding at least three blocks, merge into left lane and follow signs to Alameda via the Webster Street Tube (tunnel). Upon exiting the tube, follow Webster Street to Atlantic Avenue and turn right. Follow Atlantic Avenue through the gate into Alameda Point (formerly Naval Air Station Alameda). Turn left on Ferry Point and proceed along the water towards the cluster of large ships. Parking is available across the street from the USS Hornet.
From Walnut Creek and 24 Westbound: Take Highway 24 to 980 to downtown Oakland. Take the 11th/12th Street exit onto Brush Street. Proceed to 7th street and turn left onto 7th Street. Turn right on Webster Street which will take you into the Webster Street Tube (tunnel) to Alameda. Upon exiting the tube, follow Webster Street to Atlantic Avenue and turn right. Follow Atlantic Avenue through the gate into Alameda Point (formerly Naval Air Station Alameda). Turn left on Ferry Point and proceed along the water towards the cluster of large ships. Parking is available across the street from the USS Hornet.
From San Jose and 880 Northbound: Proceed toward downtown Oakland and take Broadway exit. At the end of the ramp follow the signs to Alameda, turning right on Broadway and then immediately turning right on 7th street. Go two blocks to Webster and turn right again, entering the Webster Street Tube (tunnel) to Alameda. Upon exiting the tube, follow Webster Street to Atlantic Avenue and turn right. Follow Atlantic Avenue through the gate into Alameda Point (formerly Naval Air Station Alameda). Turn left on Ferry Point and proceed along the water towards the cluster of large ships. Parking is available across the street from the USS Hornet. INKSPOT NOVEMBER 2004
USS Hornet Museum Pier 3, Alameda Point, Alameda, California (510) 521-8448 INKSPOT NOVEMBER 2004
CWEACWEA SantaSanta ClaraClara ValleyValley Section,Section, SanSan FranciscoFrancisco BayBay Section,Section, && RedwoodRedwood EmpireEmpire SectionSection Laboratory Committee Training Meeting Date Thursday, November 4, 2004 (Date Change!!) Topic Instrumentation: Introduction and review of operations for: AA, Cold Vapor AA, Hydride AA, Graphite Furnace, ICP, ICP-MS, Ion Chromatography, Total Organic Carbon
Speaker Peter Halpin, Caltest Analytical Laboratory
Time 11:00 – 11:30 Registration 11:30 – 12:30 Lunch 12:30 – 2:00 Speaker Presentation (2 Contact Hours)
Location Hs Lordships 199 Seawall Drive Berkeley, CA 94710 510-843-8144
Cost CWEA members - $28.00 Non-members - $33.00
Space is limited, so make your reservations right away! Please RSVP by October 29, 2004 to Cassie Prudhel – 650-829-3840 or [email protected] or Fax – 650-839-3855 !!Remember that a reservation is a financial commitment!! INKSPOT NOVEMBER 2004
Well, our most esteemed SFBS President, Ray Busch has asked me to write a wrap-up article on the 2004 NRTC. Much as I don’t want to write an article… (sigh)… I will.
Okay, now I’m getting fired up.
This year’s NRTC was, in my humble opinion, one of THE best conferences ever! Hear me out. We trained 565 people! And, more importantly, those people we trained were those who are on the frontlines of our industry. The sewer workers, the plant operators, the mechanics, the electricians, the lab analysts and, yes, engineers, too.
As co-Chairs of this conference, Leo Gonzalez and I agreed on our goal, which was to provide absolutely impeccable value to the attendees. To us, that meant… keeping costs low so that agencies and firms would allow their staff to attend, offering pertinent training, gathering as many exhibitors as possible in one place, having a first-rate venue in which to hold the conference (did you check out that pool?!), and providing good food and plenty of it. To all accounts we’ve heard from the attendees, we believe we succeeded in our goal.
We think that having the conference in the Reno/Sparks area enabled us to provide the necessary training to our industry’s workers for good value. We hope to convince the CWEA Board to keep the costs low so that more and more people will be allowed to attend. And, we hope that the next time we have the conference in this area, we can get more Nevada WEA and Pacific Northwest Association people to attend. Just think how interesting it would be to exchange anecdotes, trade tips, and stories with wastewater professionals from the Northwestern states. The Northern Regional Committee is recommending to the Board that the 2006 NRTC be held, once again, at the Nugget in Sparks. Please, if you attended the conference and liked the venue, let CWEA Board members know. And, if you did not attend this year’s conference, well, since it is held annually, you have a chance to attend next year’s conference. The 2005 NRTC will be held in Redding… stay tuned for information about that conference coming in the months ahead.
THANKS to all of you who attended!!! INKSPOT NOVEMBER 2004
SFBS CALENDAR
OCTOBER 2004 7 SFBS Monthly Dinner Meeting - see flyer 2-6 WEFTEC - New Orleans, LA 19 No. Instrumentation Control and Elec. Conference. San Ramon. Call Bill Hendrix 916-875-9127 for information 20 No. Safety Conference, Woodland, CA - see flyer 29 SFBS Award Nominations Due - see below 31 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! NOVEMBER 2004 4 SFBS Monthly Dinner Meeting - USS Hornet - see flyer 10 Disease Control, Blood Borne Pathogens and Ergonomics Class, Burlingame (4 Contact Hours). Contact: Collections Committee Chair, Walter Lunn at 510-524-4668 DECEMBER 2004 2 SFBS Monthly Dinner Meeting 21 Winter Solstice
Remember: SFBS AWARD NOMINATION DEADLINE IS: October 29, 2004 Awards, awards, awards……..
Awards packets are available from the CWEA office in Oakland (hard copy or on disk), and at the CWEA website (http://www.cwea.org/mlr_member_awards_forms.shtml). INKSPOT NOVEMBER 2004
SF BAY SECTION BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS President Ray Busch Laboratory Cassie Prudhel [email protected] 510-481-6962 [email protected] 650-829-3840 Vice President Paul Louis Laboratory QA/QC Bill Ray [email protected] 925-229-7165 [email protected] 916-657-1123 1st Year Director Kevin Membership Randy Fiorucci Calderwood [email protected] 925-210-2234 [email protected] 925-246-8000 2nd Year Director Rick Chan O & M Exchange Bruce Dobey [email protected] 925-932-1710 [email protected] 925-335-7782 Past President/Awards Chair Sandeep Professional Development Christina Karkal Hartinger [email protected] 415-892-1694 [email protected] 925-246-8068 Treasurer Kevin Safety Leo Gonzalez Krajewski [email protected] 510-903-6600 [email protected] 925-229-0480 Communications Mark Student Activities Alex Park Takemoto [email protected] 925-299-6733 [email protected] 925-210-2422 Newsletter Editor Teresa Herrera TCP Officer Angelino Santos [email protected] 925-945-6850 [email protected] 510-481-6996 Collection System Walter Lunn [email protected] 510-524-4668
San Francisco Bay Section/CWEA 14 Echo Court Pleasant Hill, CA 94523