Water Utility Hero of the Week: Erick Del Bosque, Sweetwater Authority
This feature highlights water utility employees in the San Diego region working during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure a safe, reliable and plentiful water supply. The water industry is among the sectors that are classified as essential.
Water Utility Hero of the Week: Erick Del Bosque
Job/Agency: Engineering Manager at Sweetwater Authority
How did you become interested in working in the water industry?
I was in my junior year of college when I was having serious doubts about the major I chose civil engineering. This was mostly due to required coursework that was not of interest to me and I was seriously considering switching majors. However, during this junior year of college I got involved with a nonprofit organization called Engineers Without Borders and I got to design and construct a water filtration system with other engineering students, for a rural community in northern Thailand. This was a great rewarding experience and sparked my interest in the water industry. During my senior year of college when most of my coursework consisted of elective courses, I mostly selected elective coursework related to water resources, water distribution, and water treatment so I could pursue a job in the water industry.
How has job changed during the pandemic?
At Sweetwater Authority we have implemented a rotation schedule for when staff needs to work from the office and when staff needs to work remotely from home. This ensures that we have sufficient coverage in the office for all areas while maintaining social distancing from each other. For those days where I need to work remotely from home, the remote connection from the laptop at home to my office computer is very smooth and it’s just like if I were working from my office computer, with the exception that I don’t have an extra computer monitor at home like I have in my office. Working from home does have some occasional challenges though, such as interruptions from my 3-year old son or having my dogs barking during conference call meetings, but overall, I have adjusted well to the different working conditions.
How are you keeping safe?
By following the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and state and local governments, such as wearing a face mask when in public areas, washing my hands or using hand sanitizer after touching areas that might have been touched by others, following social distancing recommendations, and only going out of the house for essential things such as buying groceries.
What are you most looking forward to after the crisis ends?
To hang out with friends and family.
Editor’s note: The Water Utility Hero of the Week highlights essential work performed during the COVID-19 pandemic by employees of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies.
