As part of California’s seventh annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week, the San Diego County Water Authority is proud to highlight the essential role of water professionals and local public water agencies in providing water and wastewater services. 

Water professionals keep the water flowing 

“We appreciate the dedication of our highly trained operators, technicians and other specialists who ensure the San Diego region has safe and reliable water supplies,” said Dan Denham, Water Authority General Manager. “And we appreciate all of the water industry professionals who keep the water flowing in communities throughout California, including district managers, customer service representatives, treatment plant operators and engineers.” 

Show water professionals some love 

This year’s theme for Water Professionals Appreciation Week (Oct. 7-15) is “Show water professionals some love.”  This week and every week, we encourage you to offer gratitude to the dedicated professionals working every day to deliver our most precious resource to our homes and businesses – professionals like Victor DeJesus, Patty Duran, and Kevin James.  

Victor DeJesus, Senior Electrical/Instrumentation Technician 

“As a Senior Electrical Instrumentation Technician my role includes working on a variety of systems that support the ability for the Water Authority’s System Operators to safely and accurately perform remote control water delivery throughout San Diego County,” said Victor DeJesus, Senior Electrical/ Instrumentation Technician at the San Diego County Water Authority. “Our Technical Services group is responsible for maintaining upwards of 75 Flow Control Facilities in the region. Every day here is unique and interesting. On any given day our work can range from calibrating electronic flow meters, upgrading programmable logic controllers, troubleshooting cellular and fiber communication networks, maintaining access control software/hardware or the installation of new LED fixtures. Our work is never static! There is always something interesting to do. I like that what my colleagues and I do is enduring.” 

Patty Duran, Human Resources Analyst 

“The work is challenging, yet it is rewarding to work with a team to find solutions to issues that directly impact our community,” said Patty Duran, Human Resources Analyst at the San Diego County Water Authority.  “My advice to anyone interested in joining the water industry is to seek out learning and networking opportunities through professional associations and industry certifications.”

(To learn more about career opportunities in the water industry go to: www.sandiegowaterworks.org.)

Kevin James, Facilities Services Technician 

“I was inspired to work in the water industry by my former Supervisor Baldemar Troche also known as BT,” said Kevin James, Facilities Services Technician at the San Diego County Water Authority. “At the time, I wasn’t fully sure if I was ready to make a change in my career path of HVAC. But after being mentored and speaking on the possible issues of this transition, BT reassured me of a brighter future I could have in the water industry. Also after seeing how successful his time was at the Water Authority and the gratification of helping our community to provide water to the San Diego region, it was a no brainer. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. And I am happy to have made the right choice.” 

Stay in touch, find water industry jobs

Follow the Water Authority’s social media accounts to learn more about our amazing team and the essential role they play in our community, and to get more information about jobs in the water industry.