President's Message - Diversity is Beautiful

By Ziad Mazboudi, PE

At our last luncheon, I looked around our table, and I saw something truly…

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Secretary's Column - Au Revoir Eiffel Tower

By Penny Lew, PE

It’s spring time again and some of you are probably making travel plans for…

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Photo Album - Le Tour Eiffel

By Penny Lew, PE

Images of Le Tour Eiffel

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In This Issue

President's Message - Diversity is Beautiful

By Ziad Mazboudi, PE

At our last luncheon, I looked around our table, and I saw something truly special.  I saw a diversity of ideas and opinions from our Board members as they were discussing some issues regarding our branch.  What was beautiful was the harmony between the board members, who are able to come to consensus on the various issues that we face.  This board is probably one of the most diverse Boards that the Orange County ASCE branch has ever had.  I am a Lebanese-American, Josh Nelson, our Vice President is a Norwegian-American, Tapas Dutta, our treasurer is an Indian-American, our secretary Penny Lew is a Chinese-American and Kathereen Shinkai, our past-president is a Japanese-American.  In addition to our Board, our committees are as diverse with multiple cultural backgrounds.  This reflects on the very diverse society that Orange County has become.

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Secretary's Column - Au Revoir Eiffel Tower

By Penny Lew, PE

It’s spring time again and some of you are probably making travel plans for this summer.  My travel plans were supposed to happen this spring, as an anniversary of sorts, back to Paris to take in the sounds, sites, and ahhh… the baguettes and pastries.  But coordinating my schedule with my husband’s, who runs his own engineering firm, has made it difficult to firm up plans for a week-long trip, let alone 10 or more days.

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Photo Album - Le Tour Eiffel

By Penny Lew, PE

Images of Le Tour Eiffel

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Branch News - The State Water Project

By RANDALL NUEDECK, METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT

Southern California receives its raw water from basically three different sources-the Delta where water is moved across it through the State Water Project aqueduct, the Colorado River, and from local groundwater replenishment.  The hub of California’s water is the Bay-Delta where Southern California receives thirty-percent of its water source.  Randall Neudeck, the Bay-Delta Imported Water Supply Program Manager for the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California, was the guest speaker at our April luncheon. He represents MWD on water quality, water supply and environmental issues related to Southern California's imported water supply from the San Francisco Bay-Delta watershed.

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Government Affairs

By Jeannette Lindemann

On Saturday April 16, 2011 the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in conjunction with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) hosted a Professional Development Conference at Hoag Hospital’s Conference Center in Newport Beach.  The event provided personal and professional development to 42 attendees that ranged from college students to engineering managers at different companies throughout Southern California.

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History & Heritage - JWA Historical Landmark

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The airport was given this distinction based on its many Civil Engineering projects that have contributed to the Orange County Area.  According to OC Branch History and Heritage Committee Chair, Bill Lawson, “Eddie Martin's Airport, predecessor of John Wayne Airport, was established in Orange County in 1923.  In September 1941 the County of Orange Airport was constructed with Martin Aviation as a tenant.  In 1965 construction of new runways was completed, followed by the construction of a new terminal in 1967.  In 1979 the name of the airport was changed to John Wayne Airport, and in 1990 the present 'Supervisor Thomas F. Riley' Terminals A and B were completed."

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Sustainability News - New ISI Rating System

By ASCE "Section Informant" April 2011

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) has announced that its sustainable infrastructure rating system, now in pilot testing, will be called envision™. The new rating system is founded on the “triple bottom line” concept of sustainability, which includes environmental, economic and social considerations, and is designed to identify the benefits of sustainable practice for owners, regulators and practitioners. envision™ will be formally launched in the summer of 2011 as a voluntary, downloadable product. Unlike other tools, envision™ will include an option for third-party verification, and will provide a uniform means of assessing a wide range of infrastructure projects, from roads and bridges to energy and water systems.

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OC Firm Spotlight - HDR

By Avygail Sanchez

HDR is celebrating 25 years of success in Orange County and the Southern California area. We currently employ over 300 people in seven Southern California offices serving public and private clients throughout the six-county region. Our largest Southern California office, located in Irvine, is staffed to serve our Water/Wastewater; Transportation; and Federal, Energy, and Resource Management clients.  We are proud to have been given the opportunity to work with outstanding local clients on notable projects such as the Michelson Treatment Plant for IRWD, SR57 Widening for OCTA, the Santa Ana River Sediment Transport Study for OCWD, and the Ortega Highway Widening project for Rancho Mission Viejo.

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Law and CE

By Eugene Bass, Esq

A School District entered into a contract  to construct an elementary school according to plans and specifications developed by the District. Three years after the start of construction,  the District terminated the contract, declaring that the contractor was in material breach and default. The District then sought proposals from other contractors to correct defects in the original contractor's work and to complete the project. The District provided prospective bidders with copies of the original plans and specifications.  It also provided over 100 pages of what the parties characterized as a "current correction lists" or as "pre-punch lists," cataloging work by the previous contractor that the District's inspectors found to be defective, incomplete or missing.

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YMF News - CYM Employer Recognition Nomination

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Young engineer enthusiasm, meaningful involvement, and growth are the keys to ASCE's future.  As a means of fostering individual Younger Member participation in Society activities, the ASCE Committee on Younger Members (CYM) has developed a program to help Sections and Branches recognize those employers who encourage their Young engineers to get involved in ASCE activities.  Special recognition will go to those organizations that exhibit exemplary support evidenced by efforts such as:

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New Emailed Newsletter

By Penny Lew, ASCE OC Branch Secretary

We are finally here!  Through the tireless efforts and hard work from our website committee, we launch the newly formatted Branch newsletter.  We hope that you enjoy the ease of choosing articles and having links available within the articles for easier access to additional information. The new format should also make going through the month’s features easier, allowing our readers to view articles and photos in a snap!  I hope you all find the new format helpful and I would like to hear your feedback and suggestions.

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SAC - Practitioner Advisor Needed

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ASCE Orange County is seeking an enthusiastic professional to take on the role of Practitioner Advisor for Cal State Fullerton. This is great opportunity to provide guidance to the civil engineering students at the university!  With the help of another professional, the individual will make themselves available to the student chapter, provide insight into the industry, and will also help with status reporting.

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Call for Papers - IECC'7

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International Committee, Los Angeles Section 7th International Engineering and Construction Conference (IECC’7) February 13-15, 2012 Call for papers

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In Memoriam

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Mr. LeBaron’s work experience included Reading Railroad for 11 years in construction of bridges, coal dumpers, and towers. Later he was employed at Holmes & Narver, Inc., Architect Engineers in Orange, CA for 26 years.  His projects, located at various sites, included a Nevada Test Site;  Amchitka, Alaska for DOE; Tonopah Integrated Air Defense System TIADS,  Central Nevada for the Air Force; ROTHR on Amchitka for the Navy; KC-135 Rebasing at Malstrom AFB, and Montana for the U.S. Army.  He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and son, Geof.  A Memorial Service was held at St. George’s Episcopal Church.

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CSULB Fundraiser

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You are cordially invited to celebrate a great year with ASCE and Engineers Without Borders at our end-of-the-year benefit banquet. Proceeds help send our Steel Bridge Team to the National Competition at Texas A&M in May.

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