Whitewater Erosion Protection Project
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An article in last week’s WaterTalk outlined the Board's recent approval of a contract for erosion control repairs along the Colorado River Aqueduct. The board also approved a second project, the Whitewater Erosion Protection Structure Rehabilitation.
The CRA’s Whitewater siphons were constructed in 1941 and are located north of Palm Springs. The double-barreled siphons are 2,200-foot reinforced concrete conduits with diameters of 133 inches and 156 inches. The siphons, which pass under the Whitewater River, have been subject to erosion damage for many years.
Last year, Met constructed an erosion protection structure to reduce the risk of damage caused by storm flows. The structure featured east and west gabion berms, an access road, a gabion drop structure and mattress, and placement of cellular concrete to prevent overloading the CRA siphon.
In his presentation to the E&O committee, Engineering Services Unit Manager
Tom Campbell
explained that a major rainfall event in February greatly increased river flows in the Whitewater watershed, which in turn caused significant damage to many sites - including the new gabion control structure - eroding 3,200 cubic yards of gabion cages and riprap.
Staff recommended to the Board that this urgent work be done to stabilize the erosion protection structure before next winter. The Board approved the funding for design-phase activities for these urgent repairs. Staff will return to the Board to award a construction contract, which is expected to be $2-3 million.
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Power Up: Weymouth EV Charging Stations
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To further Metropolitan's sustainability efforts, Administrative Services Rideshare Services team recently partnered with the Weymouth Filtration Plant staff to install two dual electric vehicles (EV) charging stations.
“This project is just one more way that Metropolitan is integrating solutions to benefit the environment and our employees,” said Administrative Service Analyst
Jeannette Correa.
On April 11, Met's Rideshare Team held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Weymouth Filtration Plant to thank all who worked on the project.
Ashley Tucker,
an Administrative Assistant II,
noted, “The pilot program at Union Station started with three EV participants and has grown to 44. I am very excited to see how the program will grow at Weymouth.”
Among those who worked on the project were Plant Engineer
Tommy Farm
, Electrical Team Manager
Tim Hutcherson
and his staff, Rideshare Services and Procurement.
Since the grand opening,
Tommy Farm
reports that more employees are driving electric vehicles to work and the stations are always in use. "It is already proving to be a valuable investment for the District," he says.
Team Manager
Tina Smith
, said, “I am excited to take part in a project that advances our sustainability efforts and benefits the growing number of employees who use electric vehicles."
The project supports the work of Metropolitan's Rideshare Program to remain compliant with current air quality regulatory requirements.
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A Career that Spans a Startup and an Upgrade
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“I don’t spend a lot of time at my desk,” said
Bryce Chandler
, a pump plant specialist at the Wadsworth Pumping Plant. He has been a hands-on worker from the start, beginning with his time as a contract electrician during the early stages of Diamond Valley Lake's construction.
Bryce
did preliminary electrical analysis for the project - then known as Domenigoni Valley Reservoir. In 1998,
Bryce
joined the district as a full-time employee and worked on the start-up of the Wadsworth plant that would become Metropolitan’s largest hydroelectric facility.
Bryce
is returning to his roots these days, overseeing the upgrade of Wadsworth, a major project which involves nearly as much effort as building it for the first time.
Twelve pump control systems have to be removed and rewired. For a sense of scale, that is nearly 10,000 wires for each of nine generators. Everything that controls the 6,000 horsepower generators has to be ripped out, reinstalled, tied in to the system, tested and run before returning to commission.
Helping him on the job is a talented three-person electrical team of
Bryan Raymond
,
Matt Irving
and
Larry Domingo
. “There is also a group of mechanics who lend a hand anytime we need anything,"
Bryce
said.
Bryce
has been married to his wife Stacy for 33 years. When he started at Met, his two children were in the second and fourth grades. Today, he is a grandfather of two with one arriving next month. His next project? When the Wadsworth upgrade is done, he plans to retire to Idaho and enjoy fishing and the outdoors.
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