For questions about CASA News, please contact Alyssa Downs.

Get to Know the CASA Staff: Jessica Gauger

Jessica Gauger manages CASA’s state legislative advocacy initiatives and is our lead advocate in the California Legislature. She regularly interfaces with elected officials, legislative staff, and other stakeholders to advance CASA’s public policy priorities. She also works in conjunction with our professional consultants in Washington D.C. to advocate on behalf of issues of interest to the wastewater community. Jessica oversees CASA’s state legislative committee activities and all external and membership initiatives related to our legislative advocacy programs. Prior to joining CASA, Jessica was employed with Michael F. Dillon & Associates where she represented CASA as a contract legislative advocate, and previously worked on staff in the California State Senate. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from San Diego State University. Jessica lives in Sacramento with her husband Josh and two sons, Griffin (8) and Cooper (6). In her free time Jessica enjoys cycling, cooking, reading, gardening, and spending time with her family. 

Jessica beyond the office:

• What's your favorite holiday or special occasion, and how do you usually celebrate it? Halloween is hands-down my favorite holiday to celebrate. My birthday and one of my children’s birthdays are Halloween adjacent making it a special time of year in general. There’s something so whimsical and fun about the costumes and spookiness and little bit of mischief of the holiday. We always go big on the Halloween decorations and host a costume party for the kids, and of course go trick or treating on Halloween night. And to top it off we like to spend months planning elaborate family themed costumes. This year we’re planning to be Ghostbusters ☺
• What is one thing you cannot live without? Grocery delivery. I started getting groceries delivered during the pandemic and I’ll never go back. Actually, any kind of delivery service really – I’m all about efficiencies. 
• If you could have any animal as a pet, real or fictional, what would it be? I’m a big softie for animals and I sometimes daydream of owning a little farm in retirement where I’d collect a menagerie of impractical farm animals with funny personalities like pygmy goats, miniature donkeys and a couple alpacas.   
• What's your favorite way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon? I really like to cook and find it relaxing so I’d say a lazy Sunday is best spent slowly cooking some elaborate meal and then enjoying it together with my family. 

Registration is Open for the Excellence Unveiled Webinar

Register today for an exclusive webinar on June 25 from 11:00am – 12:15pm, as we delve into past CASA Awards of Excellence winning projects. This virtual event offers a unique opportunity to gain invaluable insights directly from the minds behind these exceptional projects. From harnessing biomethane as a renewable energy source to engaging the public through effective outreach and education programs, each project offers a unique perspective and important lessons for other CASA agencies. Our esteemed presenters, each a recipient of a past CASA Award of Excellence, will take you on a journey through their innovative projects, sharing the challenges and triumphs that defined their process. 

For those of you who have seen our Awards of Excellence presented at the CASA Annual Conference and wanted to know more about the projects being honored, now is your opportunity! This webinar promises to be a rich source of knowledge and inspiration, with plenty of time to engage with the presenters during the Q&A period. You won’t want to miss it! Register here!

CASA Annual Conference in Monterey: Hotel Block Nearing Capacity!

CASA’s Annual Conference is only two months away, and the hotel block is almost sold out, so be sure to register today and reserve a room! Set to take place from July 31 to August 2 at the Monterey Marriott, this year’s program offers an array of speakers and panels geared towards providing our agencies with the necessary tools and information to foster collaboration and achieve our common goals. We will host three different tracks this year with opportunities for high-level policy discussions as well as deep technical dives, and some excellent networking opportunities! As always, our committee leaders and subject matter experts will be on hand to provide all the latest information on legislative and regulatory proposals that will impact your agency. Trust us, you won’t want to miss out on what we have in store. Register now and make your reservations to lock in the best hotel rates. We hope to see you this summer in Monterey!

Come Grow with Us!

CASA is delighted to announce the continuation of the CASA Mentoring Program for 2024-25 after another successful year. Join us as a mentor or mentee to inspire others, share knowledge, and drive change!

This 11-month comprehensive program, kicking off in October and concluding in August 2025, connects clean water professionals from across California. Partnering with Core Consulting, renowned for their experience in developing mentoring and training programs for public agencies, CASA will match mentor/mentee pairs based on their professional goals, preferences, and experience. The program is open to both associates and agency members. Interested in learning more? Join our virtual information sessions on:

• Wednesday, August 7, from 12:00pm - 12:30pm
• Wednesday, August 21, from 11:30am - 12:00pm

Be sure to visit the CASA LEAD webpage! If you're already interested in participating in this program for the upcoming year, please email Alyssa Downs so we can add you to our interest list.

In Memoriam: Thomas R. Handley

CASA is saddened to share the news that Union Sanitary District (USD) Director Thomas R. Handley, 72, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Director Handley served the customers of Union Sanitary District for 24 years with distinction and dedication. Tom first served as a USD Director for seven years beginning in 1995 before a job transfer took him out of state in 2002. He was appointed in 2007 to fill a retiring Director’s seat, then ran uncontested in 2008 and served consecutive terms until his passing. As a USD Director, Tom modeled being a good fiscal steward with ratepayers' interests in mind. He prioritized USD’s delivery of services in a cost-effective manner while ensuring the District met all environmental regulations and focused on maintenance of USD’s infrastructure as key to protecting the environment while being fiscally conservative. Tom recognized the need to balance business interests while meeting environmental standards, encouraging collaboration with business customers to develop mutually agreeable and cost-effective guidelines and timeframes.

During Tom’s tenure, he provided guidance and direction through major District initiatives and upgrades to USD’s Union City treatment plant. The latest program benefiting from his support is the District’s Enhanced Treatment and Site Upgrade Program (ETSU), the largest capital improvement program in USD’s 106-year history. Tom’s many years of leadership have been integral to important programs that will serve the District’s customers now and for decades to come. CASA extends their deepest condolences to the Handley family and the USD community.

If you have questions related to federal updates, please contact Sarah Sapirstein.

Senate Committee Favorably Reports Out WRDA 2024

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works favorably reported out the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 (S. 4367) on a recorded vote of 19-0. Historically, Congress passes WRDA on biannual basis and the legislation primarily focuses on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) water infrastructure and quality projects. S. 4367 follows the tradition and includes project authorizations, environmental infrastructure projects that support habitat restoration and flood management, and reports of studies into hazardous substances used in project materials and impacts to USACE operations. One notable section in WRDA 2024 is the authorization of an emergency drought operations pilot program established by USACE to prioritize water supply operations during drought emergency at certain projects in California, as well as Arizona.

EPA Publishes Clean Watershed Needs Survey

This month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the 2022 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) and transmitted the report to Congress. The CWNS outlines the nation’s clean water infrastructure investment needs to ensure clean water quality protections of the nation’s water bodies are upheld. Technically, EPA is supposed to complete CWNS every four years. However, prior to this recently released report, the last time the Agency published CWNS was in 2012.

Overall, the 2022 report finds that over the next twenty-years, a total of $630 billion is required to address the nation’s clean water infrastructure needs. Congress will use the 2022 report to help determine where future federal investments should be targeted to support resilient clean water sector. Within the $630 billion total need, the report identifies the investment needs per clean water infrastructure category.

• Wastewater infrastructure requires $345.7 billion, representing 55% of the total. Specifically, investments are needed to install new or repair existing pipes and pump stations.
• Stormwater infrastructure requires $115.3 billion, representing 18% of the total.
• Nonpoint Source Control infrastructure requires $94.4 billion, representing 15% of the total.
• Decentralized systems infrastructure requires $74.4 billion, representing 12% of the total.

Rancho Water Optimizes Operations Through Energy Efficiency

The Rancho California Water District (Rancho Water/District) serves 150 square miles in Southwest Riverside County, which includes the cities of Temecula and Murrieta. As an innovative leader in the community, Rancho Water is dedicated to advancing energy efficiencies through the use of solar facilities, new construction, partnerships, and facility upgrades. 

The District’s expansive groundwater basin and 43,000-acre-foot reservoir allow Rancho Water to maximize local water supplies and recycle 100% of its reclaimed water. Groundwater pumping and booster pumps account for nearly 82% of Rancho Water’s electric use as it moves water through 1,000 miles of pipeline and up to elevations of nearly 3,000 feet. To reduce its use of the energy grid, Rancho Water has made improvements throughout the District with forward-thinking programs and projects including solar facilities with thousands of energy-producing panels, participation in several Energy Demand Response Programs, and the implementation of a groundwater optimization program which uses real-time monitoring to balance energy demands, water production, water quality, and consumer demands maximizing production of local low-cost groundwater supplies.

Sign up for CASA’s Regulatory Updates

CASA’s Regulatory Workgroup regularly puts together a comprehensive e-newsletter to share all regulatory updates on key issues and workgroup initiatives with the CASA membership. If you are interested in receiving these regulatory updates, please contact Jared Voskuhl. The latest edition is available here.

Last Call - 2024 Partnering for Impact Event is Nearly Sold-Out

The CWEA and CASA Partnering for Impact (PFI) event is just around the corner! Happening on June 4, 2024, from 8:00am – 4:30pm in Irvine, CA, join wastewater leaders from more than 50 different agencies and firms for discussions on innovation and a chance to hear from 10 of California's leading experts. After each presentation, you can participate in discussions during the roundtables.

We're uniting utilities, academics, and industry at UC Irvine's high-tech Beach at the Cove conference center. This is the first-time we're hosting the event in Southern California. Everyone is welcome!

Hurry, seats are nearly sold-out for this high-profile event. Register today!

Navigating Nutrient Removal Workshop

CASA is proud to sponsor the CWEA Navigating Nutrient Removal Workshop on Thursday, June 20 from 9:00am to 3:15pm in Walnut Creek, CA. This workshop teaches nitrogen removal fundamentals and applications, including an overview of technologies and limits of treatment. Discussions will include innovative methods like Microvi, MABR, and PdNA, along with intensification technologies such as MBR and low-DO approaches. The goal is to provide participants with an understanding of cost, risk, resiliency, and operational considerations associated with different biological nitrogen removal options. Case studies will be shared to illustrate decision-making processes involved in upgrading nitrogen removal systems. The workshop will conclude with a panel session for audience Q&A. Register today!

CASA represents more than 135 local public agencies engaged in the collection, treatment and recycling of Wastewater and biosolids to protect public health and the environment. Our mission is to provide trusted information and advocacy on behalf of California clean water agencies, and to be a leader in sustainability and utilization of renewable resources.