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The ASCE San Francisco 575 Market St, Suite 400 | San Francisco, CA 94105 415-546-6546 | htpp://www.asce-sf.org October 2021, Volume 70, No. 10

WELCOME THE NEW 2021-2022 ASCE BOARD MEMBERS

President, Aly Tawfik

Vice President, Rupeet Malhotra

Treasurer, Keith Thomsen

President-Elect, Rami Selim

2021 SAN FRANCISCO SECTION ANNUAL MEETING AND AWARDS GALA The ASCE San Francisco Section celebrated the wide array of outstanding work being done throughout the Section on September 23rd at our Annual Meeting and Awards Gala. This year’s event took place via Zoom. Outstanding Project and Individual Awards were presented to deserving members. PROJECT WINNERS

Airports and Ports Project Architectural Engineering Project Bikeways and Trails Project Bridge Project Community Improvement Project Construction Project Energy Project  Environmental Engineering Project Flood Management   Geotechnical Project Historical Renovation Project Parks and Recreation Project Seismic Retrofit Project Small Project Structural Engineering Project Sustainable Engineering Project Transportation Project  Urban or Land Development Water Project

Crane Cove Park Atlas 385 14th Street  Laton Sidewalk Improvements Italian Bar Road Bridge over Redinger Lake (San Joaquin River)  Matilda Torres High School Pardee Chemical Plant Chemical Feed Shafts Zero-Emission Vehicles DC Fast Chargers Seawater Intake Repairs, UCSC Long Marine Lab Fresno Irrigation District, Central Canal Basin Project, Central and Hughes Avenues UCSF Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building  Claire Lilienthal Elementary School Ground Improvements Sonoma Valley High School Athletic Field Renovation Marina Middle School Seismic Retrofit Outside Canal Bridge Replacement at Russell Avenue Fresno Canal Bridge Replacement at McKinley Avenue Creek Fire, Post Fire Runoff Erosion and Sediment Control Project SB I-680 HOV Lane Completion and Express Lane Conversion Brooklyn Basin, Parcel F (Vista Estero and Paseo Estero) Lake Mendocino Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) Final Viability Assessment (FVA)

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Outstanding Civil Engineer in the Public Sector Outstanding Civil Engineer in the Private Sector Outstanding Civil Engineer in Community Service Outstanding ASCE Section Officer Outstanding YMF Officer Outstanding Younger Civil Engineer Outstanding Branch Officer Outstanding Faculty Advisor HJ Brunnier for Outstanding Service to the SF Section

Joseph Harrell Rami Selim Maxwell Armenta Rupeet Malhorta Crystal Mena Seema Barua  Erin Dupree Dr. Aly Tawfik Jim Small

Congratulations to Recipients of the 2020 SEI of ASCE, San Francisco Chapter Scholarship!  The scholarship committee received applications from undergraduate and graduate students at four of the universities served by the San Francisco Chapter of ASCE. We were impressed by every application. Four scholarship recipients were selected based on academic achievements, extracurricular activities, career goals, and financial needs. The scholarship recipients demonstrated impressive commitment and passion for structural engineering. Each of the four winners this year received a $500 scholarship award. We look forward to continuing the SEI-SF scholarship program in 2022.

THE LAW AND CIVIL ENGINEERING

FOLLOW THE PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS by Eugene Bass A water district sued a contractor who built a new highway in Marin County under a contract with Cal Trans. The new highway was built to replace an old highway and roughly paralleled it. Where the new highway crossed a swamp, mud was twenty to sixty feet deep. The mud area between the old and new highways in some places was only thirty feet wide. The method of construction called for by the plans and specifications was to pile sufficient rock and dirt on the mud to cause it to settle through the mud to solid ground thus creating a solid bed for the new highway. The result of following this method of construction was to displace the mud outward from the new roadway and toward the existing highway. The displacement of mud against the old highway caused it to move in some places as much as ten feet. The existing highway contained various utilities including water, gas, and sewer lines. The displacement due to the surcharge caused the water district's pipeline to buckle and break resulting in a lawsuit against the contractor by the water district. At the trial of the case, a judgment was rendered against the contractor, finding that the damages for injury to the water district’s pipeline were caused by the contractor's negligence in constructing the new highway. The contractor appealed the case and the appellate court reversed the lower court decision, finding that the contractor was not negligent. On appeal, it was shown that the contractor, as well as the state engineers, knew of the existence of the water pipeline. The contract between the state and contractor expressly called the attention of the contractor to the fact that certain water, gas, and sewer lines were buried within the limits of the work to be done, and provided that: "The contractor shall take every precaution to protect and preserve such lines from injury or damage during construction operations." In addition, the evidence at trial showed that the work of the contractor was planned by the state engineers and that the actual construction work was supervised and directed by the state engineers. The work done conformed in every detail to the plans and specifications furnished by the state, and everything done by the contractor was approved by the state engineers. It was also shown that prior to the commencement of construction the state informed the water district by letter of the proposed construction and warned it to protect its property. The appellate court noted that the trial court found, that the contractor had followed the plans and specifications exactly, and constructed the fill as directed by the state engineer, and that the water district was informed of the proposed construction and was furnished plans for the work. Further, the trial court found, that the water district's engineer knew of the day-by-day progress of the work and did not voice any objections. The contractor's witnesses had testified that the method of construction used was proper and there was no other testimony against that opinion. The appellate court thus concluded that it was obvious that in performing the work exactly in accordance with the plans and specifications, and under the supervision of the state engineer, the contractor was not guilty of negligence in the case and overturned the lower court judgment. The case serves as a direct example of the necessity of following the plans and specifications. With the caveat, however, that if the plans and specifications require something that the contractor believes will cause problems, the contractor should immediately call these concerns to the attention of the appropriate project representative. This article is intended only to provide general information regarding legal issues. It is not to be relied upon for legal advice. Contact your attorney for advise and guidance on general and specific legal issues.

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR REGION 9 GOVERNORS: SACRAMENTO SECTION (1) SAN FRANCISCO SECTION (1) ASCE Region 9 invites nominations for one Region 9 Governor from the Sacramento Section and one Region 9 Governor from the San Francisco Section for a three-year term beginning October 1, 2022. To be considered for this position, you must be a Society member in Good Standing and have an Address of Record within the Section being represented. It is encouraged that nominees also have prior service as a Branch, Section or Institute officer, member of a Section or Branch committee, or a member of a Society-level Committee with demonstrated leadership skills. These are elected positions under the election procedures and rules of ASCE. To apply for either one of these positions, submit the following documents by the deadline of December 1, 2021, to 1) Yazdan Emrani, P.E., Region 9 Nominating Committee Chair, at Yazemrani@gmail.com and 2) Patricia Jones, Managing Director, Executive and Board Operations, ASCE, at PJones@ASCE.org: A Letter of Intent to apply for this elected office Signed Governor Commitment document (contact Yaz Emrani for form) Biographical Statement, not to exceed 200 words Vision Statement, not to exceed 200 words Any endorsements Color headshot photograph Nominees will be requested to attend a virtual interview before the Region 9 Board of Governors on January 20, 2022, at a time to be set. For questions, please contact Yaz Emrani via email or at (949) 285-8483.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES Project Geotechnical Engineer - San Francisco, CA San Jose Branch Assistant Treasurer, San Jose, CA Public Works Director - Bakersfield, CA CHECK OUT OUR NEW JOB SITE HERE!

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