Local water mavens Stacey Aldstadt, general manager for the San Bernardino Municipal Water Department, and Anthony “Butch” Araiza, the retired general manager for the West Valley Water District, will be honored Monday, Oct. 12, during a Water Resources Institute awards reception at Cal State San Bernardino.
The university’s WRI will host the free event in the Upper Commons’ Obershaw Dining Room from 7-9 p.m. Parking at CSUSB is $6 per vehicle.
Years before many were taking water conservation seriously, Aldstadt ran tirelessly in pushing for common sense water use.
Her commitment to a safe, secure and sustainable drinking supply has safeguarded the city of San Bernardino’s water supply for two decades. Aldstadt originally formulated and presented to the fellow regional water purveyors the Clean Water Factory concept. The factory is a water reclamation project to treat and reuse municipal wastewater currently discharged to the Santa Ana River. The reclaimed water will be used for groundwater recharge and landscape irrigation.
The project is designed to reduce dependence on imported water and establish a reliable, sustainable source of clean water. It has been in the planning and environmental stages for several years and Aldstadt leads the charge for this regional water recycling plant.
Over the course of her career with the San Bernardino Water Department, Aldstadt has been a recognized leader in the area of water law and water policy for more than two decades. She is well known in the field, working as an adjunct professor at CSUSB, teaching both California water law and regulatory administration in the master’s in public administration program.
Araiza began his career with West Valley Water District in June 1963. His first job with the district started in field maintenance. By 1975, he found himself responsible for the entire water system as the district’s water superintendent. And, in 1995, the district board of directors appointed Araiza to general manager, a position he held for 20 years.
In 2002, Araiza became the lead member of the “Inland Empire Perchlorate Task Force,” which coordinates the investigation and response to a serious perchlorate water contamination crisis that has affected 20 drinking water wells and 500,000 people in the Inland Empire.
Under his direction, the water district has been successful in securing federal and state grants for new technologies to treat contaminated drinking water. He currently leads the effort to implement both traditional and innovative treatment technologies to restore safe and affordable drinking water to residents in the Rialto-Colton Water Basin.
Araiza also has a long history of participating in community and charitable organizations, including the American Water Works Association, the Association of California Water Agencies, chair for the Lytle Creek Water Conservation Association, former president for the Inland Counties Water Association, and chair for the Rialto Groundwater Basin Association.
The WRI awards event, say organizers, might be of particular interest to students looking to enter the field of water research and management and who want to engage with prominent voices within the field. Students might also gain valuable information and advice on resources available to them while enrolled at CSUSB.
The WRI Awards Reception is free and open to the public. Attendees should RSVP to Nicole Barnhart at nbarnhar@csusb.edu or call (909) 537-7681. Donations also will be accepted.
Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, California State University, San Bernardino is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, Cal State San Bernardino serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually.
For more information about the university contact the CSUSB Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.