He was best in the Southwest last year. Now he’s best in the nation.

Operations Supervisor Dave Paulson has been named the American Membrane Technology Association’s Operator of the Year, after receiving the Southwest Membrane Operator Association Chapter’s Operator of the Year Award in 2019.

Both honors were presented in recognition of Paulson’s many contributions to the field, as demonstrated through his work at IRWD.

“We are incredibly proud that Dave was recognized with this award,” General Manager Paul Cook said. “This is a really big deal, and well deserved.”

Paulson passed the accolades on to his team. “They’re the reason this department looks good,” he said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be successful.”

IRWD colleague Carl Spangenberg nominated Paulson for the award based on Dave’s work overseeing daily operations of three membrane treatment plants, (DATS, Wells 21/22 Desalter, and Irvine Desalter); 18 reservoir management systems; two disinfection booster stations; and the Shallow Groundwater Unit that is central to the El Toro Groundwater Remediation Facility.

Among Dave’s many contributions to the successful operation of IRWD’s water treatment facilities, standout accomplishments include the following:

• Identifying the use of alternative anti-scalants that reduced operating costs and enabled longer operating times at IRWD membrane plants;
• Creating a “reverse flush” clean-in-place method that has been implemented to improve the performance and efficiency of membrane filters;
• Upgrading ammonia tank level monitoring systems to an automated radar transmitter method that reduces exposure of ammonia vapor to operators;
• Developing a filing and labeling system for chemical deliveries to better manage inventory and supply; and
• Development of new patrol sheets and other administrative processes that enhance daily operations.

“Dave is a problem-solver and leads by example and action,” Spangenberg said. “While under Dave’s supervision, the District has experienced no lost time at all three membrane plants. Dave always puts safety first when it comes to the daily operation activities.”

Paulson spent 10 years trying to get into the water industry, but the idea of water as a career came to him much earlier. At age 15 or 16, he was sitting out front in his yard one day, when he noticed the water meter reader making stops along his street.

“The guy had shorts on, and he was working outdoors,” Paulson said. “I thought, ‘That seems like a good job for me.’”

He worked in plumbing for a while, then finally landed a job as a meter reader at Trabuco Canyon Water District. He came to IRWD in 2011, first as an Operator II, then worked his way through the ranks to Water Operator III, then to Water Operations Supervisor.

During that time, he earned his Grade 5 Distribution Certificate, his Grade 4 Water Treatment Certificate, associate’s degrees in water treatment and water science distribution, and a bachelor’s degree in public administration, which he said gives him a broad understanding of how public agencies work.

“I think we all feel lucky to be here at Irvine Ranch Water District,” Paulson said. “I see all these great things happening, and I’m just grateful and humbled to be a part of it.”

This isn’t the first time a member of the IRWD Team has received the American Membrane Technology Association’s Operator of the Year award. Former Water Operations Supervisor Wayne Wright received the award in 2010.

(In photo above, IRWD General Manager Paul Cook, Executive Director of Operations Wendy Chambers, and Operations Manager Ken Pfister celebrate Paulson's award with him at the Potable Treatment Plant, where masks are being worn as a COVID-19 safety measure.) 

We want to assure our customers that your drinking water is safe and reliable. The same holds true for recycled water, which is used primarily for watering public landscape.

Standard treatment processes for both drinking and recycled water eliminate microorganisms and viruses. The coronavirus is particularly susceptible to these disinfection methods.

• Drinking water: Most of IRWD’s drinking water comes from deep groundwater wells, which do not contain viruses or other pathogenic organisms.  Some of our water supply is imported surface water, which receives advanced water treatment that removes all microorganisms including viruses. All water is dosed with chlorine before entering the water distribution system to ensure that it stays safe through our system to your home.
• Recycled water: Recycled water is water that has been safely treated for reuse after it goes down the drain. It is used for irrigation of public landscape, toilet-flushing in some commercial buildings, air-conditioning cooling towers, and for industrial applications such as concrete production and composting. Although recycled water is not for drinking, it undergoes similar treatment processes to remove pathogens. Sewage treatment systems are specifically designed to remove pathogenic organisms prior to recycling or discharge to the environment.

U.S. and California water regulations require treatment processes that eliminate micro-organisms such as viruses that may spread disease. They also require that water suppliers demonstrate compliance with continuous monitoring of the water supply.

Ongoing testing is a part of the oversight: IRWD water quality staff continuously monitors our water supply, conducting more than a quarter of a million laboratory tests each year on water taken from more than 100 sample points.

We have a state-of-the-art and certified Water Quality Laboratory.  IRWD's commitment to innovation makes it one of the best-equipped water labs in Southern California. Drinking water test results are published in the Annual Water Quality report and show that IRWD drinking water meets or exceeds all quality standards set by both the state and federal government.

More information:

• Drinking water safety.
• Recycled water safety.

Six students who participated in the Irvine Unified School District’s science fair on February 5 were selected for honors by Irvine Ranch Water District for their water-related science fair projects.

IRWD has been involved in the science fair since its inception more than 30 years ago. District professionals have assisted, whether it’s advising during Ask-a-Scientist Night, or judging the water-related science fair projects.

Of the several hundred entries, more than 30 were water-related. Some examined various methods of desalination, some examined irrigation controllers and others conducted experiments on removing certain constituents from water.

Judging this year were Toni Lynch of Engineering, Dorien McElroy of Collection Systems, Mo Wise of Natural Treatment Systems and Enrique Zanetti of Water Resources.

Students whose projects were selected are:

• Aaryan Mukherjee, sixth grade, Cypress Village Elementary School, “How to Revolutionize the Process of Watering Your Plants: Soil Moisture Sensors”
• Aran Mohsenzadeh and Sriram Vaidhyanathan, sixth grade, Cypress Village Elementary School, “Cleaning Up the Microplastics from the Ocean Using Ferrofluids"
• Matthew Chang, seventh grade, South Lake Middle School, "Climate Change on Growth of Land and Marine Plants"
• Katherine Robertson, eighth grade, Beacon Park K-8 School, “Eutrophication Predicting System” 
• Patrick Zhang, eleventh grade, University High School, “The Effects of Mesopaper, Activated Charcoal, and KDF on Ni2+ Concentrations in Water”

For more information on the IRWD educational programs, please visit our website.

At IRWD, the health and safety of customers is our top priority. Therefore, all of our buildings — including our Customer Service desk and Engineering counter — are temporarily closed to the public until further notice. During this time, we will not be charging late fees or disconnecting water service, unless due to repairs or maintenance. Please check back at IRWD.com for the latest news and updates.

Meanwhile, almost all transactions with IRWD can be conducted by internet, email or phone. 

So please click or call for all your service needs. Just visit IRWD.com/services for handy links. Or dial 949-453-5300.

Full service by phone is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

We appreciate your patience as we take these steps to help protect our community from the spread of COVID-19. You can be assured that your drinking water is safe and that the IRWD staff remains hard at work to continue delivering reliable water, sewer and other services.

Customer services available online and by phone include all billing issues, meters and leaks, rates and charges, water efficiency rebates, start/stop service, water variance requests, engineering documents, and much more. Payments can be made online, by phone or placed in the parking lot drop box at 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine. 

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, you can contact Customer Service by phone or email. See our Bill Payment Questions webpage for more information.

Please visit IRWD.com/services for links to available services.

You’ll also find links to help you save water and money: Learn how to detect leaks. And apply for rebates on turf removal, smart irrigation controllers, water-efficient sprinkler nozzles and more.