West County Wastewater (WCW) celebrated its centennial year in December 2021. For the past century, our dedicated employees have worked around the clock to collect, treat, and dispose of wastewater safely and responsibly. We are proud of our ongoing devotion to protecting public health and the environment. |
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With a focus on community, culture, and climate as a platform for modernizing our agency for the next 100 years, we remain dedicated to our core values of service, trust, collaboration, leadership, accountability, and sustainability. We are honored to serve you! |
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Check out our centennial video here. |
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WCW swears in new
District 2 Director
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The WCW Board of Directors voted Annie King-Meredith as District 2 Board Member at its meeting on June 1, 2022. Director King-Meredith is a long-time Richmond resident who brings a wealth of experience in engineering and community service to the Board.
District 2, which stretches throughout North Richmond and parts of San Pablo, was left vacant with the passing of Director Sherry Stanley on April 24, 2022. Director Stanley had served on the Board since 2016.
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WCW posted a Notice of Vacancy, accepted applications from qualified applicants, conducted interviews, and deliberated before moving forward with the appointment of Director King-Meredith. Her appointment expires at the end of the current term on November 5, 2022.
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Partnering to advance human health
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WCW is working with biotechnology
company, Felix. Felix utilizes WCW
wastewater for a research project to
create a therapy that treats
infections in people with cystic
fibrosis.
The treatment therapy would use
phages, which are viruses that solely kill and selectively target bacteria. They are the most common biological entities in nature and have been shown to effectively fight and destroy multi-drug-resistant bacteria.
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San Francisco-based Felix was formed in collaboration with researchers at Yale University and UC Berkeley, who design and deploy phages to kill life threatening bacterial infections.
Wastewater is an excellent source of diverse phages, which is why the company is partnering with WCW on the research. Learn more about the clinical trial here.
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Pledge to keep your pipes clean and clear |
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West County Wastewater urges you to commit to keeping fats, oil, and
grease (FOG), wipes and other clog-causing culprits out of your pipes. These objects block and break pipes and pumps, causing destruction to your home, the environment, and the wastewater system.
Don’t miss the drama! Check out our fun, educational video series:
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WCW projects keep things clean and green |
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Activity has begun on WCW’s Clean
& Green Project, which aims to
reduce energy consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions, improve
operational safety, and efficiency,
and increase the quality of the
biosolids produced at the Water
Quality and Resource Recovery
Plant. In addition to environmental and effectiveness benefits, the project will provide significant, long-term cost savings for WCW and its customers.
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Also known as the Comprehensive Energy and Sustainability Upgrades Project, work involves replacing and modernizing equipment and infrastructure at the plant. One of the first steps will be to demolish two digesters in disrepair and replace them.
Expected to save $43.8 million over 20 years, the project includes construction and upgrades that will:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the plant by 90 percent
- Produce biosolids suitable for agricultural and other reclamation uses
- Reduce energy use by 4.2 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year
- Generate power from biogas by constructing new digesters and other equipment
- Provide solar energy for use at some WCW facilities
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Shoreline protection for
generations to come
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WCW is leading collaborative efforts
to protect the region and ecosystem
from climate change-related sea
level rise and storm surges that are
expected to affect the area by 2080.
By acting now, we can minimize the
impact to our communities, our
shoreline and the WCW Water
Quality and Resource Recovery Plant (WQRRP).
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WCW received a grant in 2020 from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority to start an initial study, data collection and planning for a horizontal levee. The “living” levee will be a gradual slope, rather than a sea wall or a berm, and will consist of mostly native plants that will provide transitional habitat for protected species to migrate upland as the sea level rises.
The project, part of a larger living levee project, will set the stage for future work to be completed as part of a collaborative shoreline plan, which will extend the levee after WCW’s portion is done. Partnerships include cross collaborations with public and private landowners, the Flood Control District, East Bay Parks, the Trails for Richmond Action Committee (TRAC), Tribal Councils and other agencies.
In addition to protecting the environment and the WQRRP from sea level rise, the project will allow us to provide educational opportunities, create jobs, improve existing trails, and add recreation amenities and shoreline access.
Get involved! The community will have the opportunity to provide feedback and discuss desired amenities via community stakeholder groups and public workshops. Outreach efforts are being led by WCW and the Watershed Project, a local non-profit with vast experience in environmental work in the North Richmond community. Learn more at www.wcwd.org.
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Behind the scenes - protecting you, protecting the environment |
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At WCW, a core part of our mission is to protect public health and our natural surroundings. Our team works around the clock to ensure
wastewater is properly collected, treated, and disposed of (in our case, recycled too!). But did you
know we also perform preventative activities? Here’s a look at just some of the ways we are always working
for you:
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24/7 emergency services allow our team to respond to sewer crises within our service area – day or night! Call (510) 222-6700, option 1, to report an emergency.
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Field crews routinely inspect public pipes and manholes in the community to ensure they are clean and in working order, keeping wastewater flowing away from homes and businesses to the treatment plant. Sometimes this even means clearing out roots growing through pipes!
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Planning and system maintenance and upgrades make sure the wastewater system is operating efficiently and smoothly. Check out how we meet today’s demand and plan for the future at www.wcwd.org/about-us/plans-documents.
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Lab technicians collect and test more than 600 samples a year to verify our treated water is safe for discharge. WCW sends most of its treated water for use as industrial recycled water!
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The Environmental Compliance team inspects industrial and commercial businesses, such as restaurants, to make sure they comply with local, state, and federal regulations to minimize pollution entering the sewer collection system, wastewater treatment system, local creeks and San Pablo Bay. This prevents pollution at the source, keeping the environment safe and our systems working properly!
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Magazine highlights general manager's passion for change |
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WCW’s General Manager Lisa
Malek-Zadeh is known for her fresh
perspective and unique approach
to expanding opportunities in the
wastewater industry and instituting
groundbreaking systemic change
within the organization she leads.
California Water Environment
Association's Clean Water
Magazine featured Malek-Zadeh as
part of a Women Impacting Water
special edition. The publication
also included a cover photo of all
the women working at WCW.
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Malek-Zadeh draws on her years of business experience to influence the changes she instituted at WCW after taking over as general manager almost four years ago. She challenged the status quo of hiring only people with certain degrees or certifications and concentrated on what they could bring to the organization. She also focused on hiring more women into the traditionally male field of wastewater.
Click here to read the entire article and visit www.wcwd.org for more information about careers and the stories about women working at WCW.
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Women leading the way in wastewater |
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Our Women in Wastewater series continues with new stories
highlighting Inge’ Murray-Bish, assistant management analyst, and
Lynna Allen, environmental compliance inspector. Learn more about
our team and how WCW promotes women in wastewater starting at a
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Your sewer lateral - assess it, fix it, and get cash back! |
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Check out this unique view! Our
lateral inspection team visits
properties to check fixed sewer
laterals to ensure they are working
properly.
Did you know your sewer lateral
plays an important role in protecting public health and our environment? A sewer lateral is the pipe that connects your home or business to the public sewer main.
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Leaving failing laterals unrepaired can cause sewage to leak into the environment and allow too much water to enter and overwhelm the wastewater treatment system.
Property owners within WCW’s service area could qualify for the PIPES program, which is designed to help residential and commercial customers repair or replace broken sewer laterals. Do your part to keep our community safe! Find out if you are eligible at www.wcwd.org/pipes.
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West County Wastewater offers a positive work environment with a staff that encourages innovative thinking, teamwork, and effective decision making. As we expand our programs and services, we are seeking qualified individuals to join our team. |
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Embracing the future by planning today...
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West County Wastewater, founded in 1921, protects public health and the environment by safely and
responsibly collecting and treating wastewater – keeping our community safe, while helping to make our planet better for future generations.
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Cesar Zepeda
President
Cheryl Sudduth
Vice President
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David Alvarado
Director
Annie M. King-Meredith
Director
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2910 Hilltop Drive Richmond, CA 94806
Direct Office: (510) 222-6700
Fax: (510) 222-3277
Business Hours:
M-F 8 a.m. - noon, 1p.m. - 5 p.m.
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www.facebook.com/WestCountyWD |
https://nextdoor.com/pages/wcwd |
www.linkedin.com/company/west-county-wastewater-district |
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