This newsletter, we want to highlight the hard work of the Utilities Operations Engineering and Compliance Team, who play a crucial role in ensuring that both public health and environmental standards are met on campus. With a dedicated group of professionals, this Facilities Management (FM) team is committed to maintaining high-quality water systems and waste management practices. We sat down with Courtney Doss, who has been Senior Civil Engineer since February, to learn more about the team and what they do.

The Engineering and Compliance Team consists of five key members in total: Courtney, Specialist Supervisor Monica Linares as well as Specialist Assistants Karl “Frank” Speth, Sebastian Acevedo, and Suveen Pooni. Together, they bring a wealth of experience and expertise to their roles. Frank stands out with an impressive 16 years at the university, while Monica has nearly four years in her role. Sebastian and Suveen are newcomers, having joined the team just a few months ago, but are already accomplishing great things.

The primary focus of the Engineering and Compliance Team is to protect both environmental and public health through rigorous oversight of our campus water quality and waste management systems. Most importantly, they handle the water quality sampling for all of the water systems on campus, including drinking water, irrigation, and wastewater. They make sure to balance meeting regulatory obligations with internal demands, but are always eager to help in case there are any other departmental responsibilities that come up. To stay on top of all of their obligations and responsibilities, every team member has to be flexible and ready to shift priorities whenever necessary.

The team recently wrapped up a major monitoring effort at the landfill that they are required to do every five years. Frank spearheaded the sampling efforts, but collaborated closely with the entire team to coordinate logistics and ensure that every task was completed accurately and on time. This was a huge undertaking, and truly underscored the importance of teamwork and flexibility for the team!

The team members are always working hard and regularly attend trainings to make sure they are informed and up to date on industry standards and current best practices. They follow the California Drinking Water standards and Waste Discharge Requirements very closely, and Monica makes sure that they stay accredited with the State Water Control Board. The lab is also currently going through the Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, or ELAP, renewal process, and Suveen and Sebastian are working hard to do their laboratory analyst certifications.

The Engineering and Compliance Team embodies a proactive approach to environmental stewardship. Their hard work makes sure that the university not only meets regulatory requirements but also sets a standard for excellence in public health protection and environmental safety. When asked about their goals for 2025, Courtney shared that the team will continue to keep providing a high quality service that helps all of FM to protect public health and our environments. Thank you so much to the Engineering and Compliance Team for all the hard work that you do!