Bridge Motion at Mills Treatment. Photo by Ryan Jordan
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT MET THIS WEEK
A weekly newsletter by and for Metropolitan employees
November 19, 2018
Measuring Water Use with Remote Sensing
New technologies are giving Metropolitan a better look at how much water is used on farms, at businesses and even in the yards outside our homes.

Lauren Steely , an Associated Resource Specialist, recently briefed the Board on some ways Metropolitan is using satellites, aircraft and drones to better understand how water is used on lawns and farm fields. She explained there is growing interest in using artificial intelligence to detect changes on the ground, such as when a homeowner replaces a lawn with native landscaping or a farmer fallows a field.

One area of particular interest is determining the amount of turf in Met's service area and how much water is used on that turf. These accurate measurements of irrigable areas are important for many reasons – including complying with new state laws that establish water conservation standards. By 2021, every California water agency will have an outdoor water budget based on the amount of landscaped area in its service territory. Determining those water budgets require data about each property.

Metropolitan is interested in remote sensing to estimate how much water is saved by agricultural conservation programs, and evaluating how drones can identify cyanobacterial blooms in reservoirs. 
Meet our Diamond Valley Lake Docents
Every weekend since 1995, volunteers from Inland Empire communities dedicate their time as Docents at Metropolitan's Diamond Valley Lake (DVL) Visitor Center.

Each docent has nearly 100 hours of training to ensure they are able to accurately and confidently explain to visitors the mission of Metropolitan and the importance of large water infrastructure projects.

Since the inception of the DVL Docent program, more than 200 dedicated volunteers have taken their time to speak with and inspire more than a million visitors at the DVL Visitors Center and the Clayton A. Record Jr. Viewpoint. The docents also work with member agencies - including Western and Eastern Municipal Water Districts - as well as the Western Science Center which is located next door to the Visitors Center.

Ten of the docents have also been trained to work with Met staff to teach more than 3,000 students annually as a part of the education programs at Diamond Valley Lake.

The docents work through Central County United Way and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program . RSVP is one of the largest volunteer networks in the nations for people 55 and over. As a thank you for their service, Met hosts an annual luncheon for the docents.
Hinds Team Wins Top Honors at Chili Cook-Off
In addition to honoringthe service of America’s veterans, one of the highlights of the Veteran’s Day celebration at the General Patton Memorial Museum is the Chili Cook-off.

At this year's event, the Hinds Pumping Plant team won top honors. This is the second year in a row Metropolitan has won. Last year, Team Manager Al Ramirez and his children won Best Overall Chili. This year, Team Manager Tim Hutcherson and his wife Nayeli brought a repeat victory to Metropolitan with their award-winning Colorado chili recipe – filled with meats and spices.

Al says, “The contest is a great time to honor our veterans, spend time with our families, and eat some good chili.” The dishes are judged in three categories: 'Best Overall,' 'Hottest,' or 'Wimpiest.' Attendees at the event vote for the winners.

This year marked the 30-year anniversary celebration at the museum with flyovers and a General Patton look-alike and speech reenactment. The ceremony also included a ribbon cutting for a new wing of the museum.

Metropolitan recently restored the “ Big Map, “ a five-ton display that depicts the Colorado River Aqueduct and 50,000 acres surrounding the route. Built by Metropolitan in the 1920s, it was donated to the museum in 1988.    
New hires, transfers, promotions & retirements are posted here each month.   
NEXT LIST: DECEMBER 3
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