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Meet the Board: A New CASA Connects Series
We're excited to launch a new series in CASA Connects that shines a spotlight on our Board of Directors. This is your chance to get to know the dedicated leaders guiding our organization—who they are, what inspires them, and why they’re passionate about CASA.
Meet the CASA Board: Melissa Thorme
What inspired you to join the CASA board?
Melissa is an environmental lawyer who has been practicing since 1990. She began regularly attending CASA conferences in the early 1990s and was even a staff member (Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs) of CASA, where she advocated to add cities to the CASA membership! She has actively participated in numerous CASA committees and workgroups over the years, including CASA’s Attorneys and Associates Committees, and she is currently Vice Chair of the Federal Legislative Committee. Her varying roles related to CASA’s advocacy efforts over the years made becoming a CASA Board member a natural next step.
How does your background relate to the work of CASA?
Melissa’s educational background includes a B.S. in Environmental and Systematic Biology from Cal Poly, SLO, M.S. in Ecology, a law degree (J.D.) from U.C. Davis, and a Masters of Law degree (LL.M.) in Energy and Environment from Tulane University. Melissa has been an appointed and then elected Board member for the Santa Lucia Community Services District in Monterey County since 2019. Her background in environmental law and policy ties in with many of CASA’s advocacy efforts and lends incredible context to her participation in CASA.
What are some of your passions or hobbies outside of your work?
Melissa enjoys her free time pursuing yoga, pickleball, hiking, and riding her horse, Delilah, which she has had for nearly 15 years. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, two adult children, two German Shepherds, and fiery cat Ember. She is also a novelist, having written two environmental legal thrillers under the pseudonym M.T. Kingsley, with another one on the way!
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Get Ready to Celebrate! CASA’s 70th Annual Conference is headed to San Diego!
CASA is thrilled to announce that our Annual Conference will take place July 30 – August 1 at the Marriott Marquis in San Diego! This year marks a major milestone, CASA’s 70th Anniversary, and we’re celebrating in style with the theme: "CASA at 70: Honoring Our Past, Shaping the Future." Join us as we reflect on seven decades of success and look ahead to the future we’re building together.
In the spirit of celebration, we also want to recognize member agencies celebrating milestone anniversaries this year. If that’s your agency, let us know! Email Alyssa Downs with your agency’s anniversary details so we can spotlight your achievements in the conference program.
In addition to our robust and engaging conference programming, you can look forward to a special series of anniversary celebrations you won’t want to miss! Registration opens soon, so stay tuned and save the date. We can’t wait to celebrate with you in sunny San Diego!
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Deadline Approaching for CASA's Esteemed Awards of Excellence Program
Your organization works hard to do what’s right for California. Recognition from the leading clean water association honors your hard work and accomplishments. Winning a CASA Award is a symbol of respect, credibility, and innovation among your peers. CASA seeks to recognize members who provide essential public services and go above and beyond to protect public health and the environment. We invite all member agencies and associates to submit an Award of Excellence application by Tuesday, May 2, 2025. Award recipients will be announced and celebrated at CASA's 70th Annual Conference this summer in San Diego. Your commitment deserves to be highlighted, and we look forward to recognizing your outstanding contributions. For more information about the award criteria and categories, please visit the Awards Program Webpage.
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Let Your Community Know About CEF’s College Scholarships
The CASA Education Foundation offers several $5,000 scholarships annually to students pursuing higher education in engineering, environmental science, public administration, wastewater operations, or other fields connected to clean water, which includes wastewater treatment, water recycling, and resource recovery. The application deadline is May 17, 2025. There is also an additional San Francisco Bay Area specific scholarship dedicated to the memory of Bruce Wolfe. Download this scholarship flyer for more information and be sure to share it with colleges in your community! Visit the Foundation webpage for additional information.
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CASA Mentoring Program
Calling all mentors and mentees! CASA is pleased to share that we will be continuing the CASA Mentoring Program in 2025-26. This 11-month comprehensive program, kicking off in October 2025 and concluding in August 2026, serves to connect clean water professionals from across the state of California. Working with Core Consulting, which has a depth of experience developing mentoring and training programs working with 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. If you already know you are interested in this program for the upcoming year, please email Alyssa Downs (adowns@casaweb.org) so we can add you to our interest list. Keep an eye out for more information on this exclusive member benefit!
| | For questions about Federal Legislative Update, please contact Sarah Sapirstein. | | |
Support Requested: ‘Do Not Flush’ Bill Introduced in Congress
Last month, the WIPPES Act was reintroduced in the House and Senate on bipartisan basis. The legislation, H.R. 2269 and S. 1092, reflects legislation that passed the U.S. House of Representatives last Congress and continues to mirror California’s "Do Not Flush" labeling law requirements for nonflushable wipes that CASA championed. This Congress, the WIPPES Act is sponsored by Representative Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Representative Kevin Mullin (D-CA), with Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) as an original cosponsor. In the Senate, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Susan Collins (R-ME) continue to sponsor the bill, with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) as an original co-sponsor.
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To ensure the WIPPES Act passes the House on a bipartisan basis, CASA members are encouraged to send your congressional delegations letters of support for the bill. A template support letter can be accessed here to send to your congressional offices. Letters should be sent up to congressional offices from now until June.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to CASA’s federal analyst, Sarah Sapirstein ssap@ensresources.com.
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EPA Office of Water Head Nomination Advances to Senate Floor
Earlier this month, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works considered and advanced the nomination of Jessica Kramer to be the Assistant Administrator for the Office Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The committee advanced Kramer’s nomination on a vote of 15-4, with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) voting in favor of the nomination. A date for Floor consideration of Kramer’s nomination has yet to be announced. If confirmed, Kramer would lead the office in charge of setting and advancing USEPA’s clean water and drinking water policy and regulatory initiatives under the Trump Administration. This includes implementing the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts, addressing PFAS contamination in water resources and water quality treatment requirements.
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Executive Branch Issues New Directives to Review Federal Regulations
The White House has issued a new Presidential Memorandum titled Directing The Repeal of Unlawful Regulations, tasking federal agencies with identifying and repealing regulations that may be unlawful. Citing recent and landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions—most notably Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Sackett v. EPA—the directive limits agencies' authority to regulate beyond what is expressly authorized by statute. Agencies have 60 days to identify such rules and submit repeal plans. In tandem, the Office of Management and Budget released a separate Request for Information (RFI), inviting public input on deregulatory ideas through May 12, 2025.
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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 Spencer Saks. The latest edition is available here.
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New Poll Results on National Voter Impressions of Water
Since 2016, the Value of Water Campaign has conducted bipartisan polling of 1,000 voters nationwide to test opinions on water infrastructure, services, affordability, and funding. The resulting insights have informed a decade of water leaders, policymakers, and elected officials on how Americans view the state of our nation’s water systems. Discover the key poll findings on the US Water Alliance webpage.
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CASA Member Spotlights
Following the 2025 Winter Conference in Palm Springs, CASA connected with members to learn more about their current initiatives, tour their facilities, and introduce them to our newest staff, Sarah Deslauriers, Director of Air, Climate, & Energy and Maile Lono-Batura, Director of Renewable Resources. Please join us for a behind-the-scenes look at four of our member facilities in Southern California.
Valley Sanitary District
Jason Dafforn, Valley Sanitary District (VSD) General Manager, welcomed Sarah and Maile for a tour of their facility located in Indio.
Valley Sanitary Fun Facts:
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VSD was established in 1925 and celebrating their 100th Anniversary this year.
- As part of their Biosolids Conversion Project, VSD will be upgrading their biosolids treatment process to accommodate for increased flow and potential regional expansion.
- To maximize reclaimed and re-cycled water generated, VSD entered a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) with Indio Water Authority to explore this access to a renewable source of recycled water rather than discharging and relying on imported water.
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Inland Empire
Jason Racz, Inland Empire Regional Composting Facility (IERCF) Compost Facility Supervisor gave Sarah and Maile an inside look at their facility in Rancho Cucamonga.
Inland Empire Regional Composting Facility Fun Facts:
- The IERCF is the largest indoor composting facility in the world. Housed in a former IKEA warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga.
- The biofilter alone is 3.1 acres and utilizes wood waste, moving towards almond tree trunks as the main media.
- IERCF produces approximately 230,000 cubic yards (90,000 tons) of SoilPro compost that is certified by the U.S. Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) Program.
The ultimate success is an empty storage facility with all compost in the hands of faithful customers.
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Orange County Sanitation District
Led by Rob Thompson, General Manager, along with Jennifer Cabral, Director of Communications, and Lan Wiborg, Director of Environmental Services, Sarah, Greg and Maile had the opportunity to tour OCSan’s new Administration Building and facilities.
Orange County Sanitation District (OCSan) Fun Facts:
- OCSan has partnered with 374Water to run their AirSCWO (super critical water oxidation) unit on site, with installation happening spring 2025.
- Surge towers were installed to act as a storm event relief station to regulate pressure and stabilize effluent flows.
- OCSan’s Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) is the world’s largest advanced water purification system for potable reuse.
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South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA)
Amber Boone, SOCWA’s General Manager, welcomed Maile and Sarah to tour two of their facilities – JB Latham Treatment Plant in Dana Point and Coastal Treatment Plant in Laguna Beach.
South Orange County Wastewater Authority Fun Facts:
JB Latham Plant
- JB Latham Plant is located directly in the Dana Point community near Doheny State Park, creating a fixed footprint to manage services within.
- The facility produces its own energy with a cogeneration unit. A flare is on site for back-up when the cogeneration unit is down.
- Centrifuge and polymer treatment utilized for dewatering to 23% solids.
Coastal Treatment Plant
- Operate at 2-3% solids as these are conveyed to their Regional Treatment Plant for final treatment.
- The Ranch at Laguna Beach that neighbors the plant, utilizes 100% reclaimed water on their golf course.
- The site is located in a valley that is part of the County of Orange Aliso & Wood Canyon Wilderness Park.
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Earth Day 2025
As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, CASA is proud to recognize the essential work of our members. Your dedicated agencies quietly and consistently protect public health, support environmental sustainability, and help ensure a cleaner, healthier planet.
This Earth Day, we celebrate the unsung heroes who are making a lasting difference for the environment - YOU. Thank you for all that you do and Happy Earth Day!
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2025 CWEA Annual Conference and Expo
It’s not too late to register for the 2025 CWEA Annual conference and expo, happening next week April 22 – April 25 in Palm Springs! See the conference webpage for more information: CWEA AC25
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2025 Special Districts Legislative Days
Join the California Special Districts Association for Special Districts Legislative Days, a two-day conference held at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento on May 20-21, 2025. This event provides special district leaders with the opportunity to learn about and advocate on the most significant policy issues facing local agencies and the communities they serve. Register today for early bird pricing!
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Partnering For Impact
The CASA and CWEA Partnering for Impact Event will take place on June 3, 2025, at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, CA. We are excited to welcome Felicia Marcus as our keynote speaker! This event will dive into critical topics like brine management and emissions from nutrient removal. The goal of Partnering for Impact is to build stronger utility, university, and industry collaborations for innovation and find areas where we can create a positive impact together. We hope to see you there!
| | 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. | | | | |
