By: Roger Chung, PE In the August luncheon, Dr. Dragi Stefanovic of Tetra Tech, Inc., presented a new procedure for hydraulic analysis and floodplain mapping of “Without Levee” (Natural Valley) conditions in accordance with latest FEMA guidelines for Analysis and Mapping of Non-Accredited Levee Systems. An unsteady hydraulic model (HEC-RAS) is developed to analyze flows in the main river, while two-dimensional flood routing (HEC-RAS 2-D) is utilized for the floodplain mapping on the landward side of a levee. The advantages and challenges of the new approach are discussed with special emphasis on the long awaited HEC-RAS Version 5.0 featuring a two-dimensional modeling component.

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By Gary Gilbert, PE, GE I appreciate the opportunity the ASCE OC Branch members have given to me to serve as  the OC Branch President this past year.  The position did take a majority of my free time over the past year, but I am already feeling huge dividends for my effort.  On a personal level, I have found that working hard to obtain a degree in Civil Engineering, passing the Professional Engineering Licensure exam, and contributing to ASCE have allowed me to have the career that I hoped I would achieve when I was younger.  

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By: Greg Henk, P.E. (Retired) Part 2 of the ASCE OC Branch Secretary's  7-Part discussion regarding volunteering.  This series of articles is based on Dennis Martenson’s presentation in Civil Engineering, February 2015.

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By Joe Gonzalez, P.E. ASCE Orange County held its August lunch event at the Center Club in Costa Mesa.  We had a great presentation on the Airport Boulevard Railroad Grade Separation project in the Community of Thermal, which is currently under construction.

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By: Carl Nelson, PE (ret) A recent OC Register headline inspired ASCE OC Life Member, Carl Nelson, PE to share his personal thoughts about infrastructure development in Orange County.

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Please join the Board of Directors in welcoming the newest members to ASCE OC! We look forward to getting to know you and hope to see you at an upcoming meeting.

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By: Collins Collins Muir + Stewart LLP For many years, public school construction in California has had the use of an alternate financing tool: the lease-leaseback contract. In its pure form under a lease-leaseback arrangement, the district leases a piece of land to a contractor for a nominal sum (usually $1). The contractor then finances and builds a project on the land. Once completed, the contractor leases the land (with the completed project on it) back to the district for a period of time not more than 40 years.  That period of time, and the lease payments made by the District during that period of time, is designed to be sufficient to compensate the contractor for building the project. At the end of that lease, the building vests back to the school district.

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Please take a few minutes and cast your vote for the 2015 - 2016 ASCE Orange County Branch Board of Directors.

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By: Wei Zhu, PE, QSP/QSD, Continuing Education Committee Chair ASCE-Orange County Continuing Education Committee (CEC) and the newly formed Construction Institute (CI) co-hosted a half-day seminar at the City of Irvine Community Training Center on July 31, 2015.  The seminar consisted of three presentations that primarily focused on two topics: Underground Utilities Management and Alternative Project Delivery.

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By: Elizabeth Ruedas, ASCE OC YMF In an event that drew over 50 attendees, ASCE OC YMF featured the 2015 Women in Engineering Panel on July 21st. The theme of the evening was “Career Advancement and Overcoming Challenges.”    

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By: Elie Hasso, EIT, Intern, OCPW When innovation is paired with the desire to preserve, sustainability is born. Sustainable infrastructure has been on the rise in the last couple decades and is no less sought after today. With design and construction of infrastructure made easier by today’s technology, sustainability is not only within reach, but can even be pushed to the absolute limits.

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The time is NOW to advocate for infrastructure! Join the ASCE LA Section for "The Path Forward" - Infrastructure Advocacy for the 21st Century in California on Friday, October 2 from 8 am - 3 pm. An excellent legislative advocacy training event is being offered by the Section Government Relations Committee on October 2nd at MTA headquarters (easily accessible by train). Legislative advocacy is critically important to our profession and this training will be invaluable to our members.

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By: Josue Vaglienty, PE Members from ASCE OC set out early on Saturday, August 15th to visit Peters Canyon Regional Park. The gathering was intended for two purposes: to learn about the Irvine Ranch Irrigation System (an ASCE OC historical landmark) as well as complete a hiking loop around the park.

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It has been nearly 10 years since Measure M2, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, was approved by nearly 70 percent of the voters in 2006. As part of the Measure M2 Ten-Year Review, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is asking stakeholders, such as members of the American Society of Civil Engineers, for feedback on the progress of M2 transportation improvements going on throughout Orange County.

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By: Andrew Easterling Transportation is covered in the news daily. With stories ranging from congested highways to the long term planning of a high-speed rail system, it seems now is a good opportunity to explore how California is approaching transportation spending.

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By Sam Ali, PE, LEED AP, ENV SP I was invited to visit The Academy in Santa Ana and give a presentation to freshmen Design and Engineering students to inspire them about careers in Civil Engineering and Sustainability. The students were engaged and asked several questions, and The Academy faculty and staff were appreciative and hope for more collaboration opportunities with ASCE-OC.

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The Geo-Institute (G-I) and Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) have come together to create this first-of-its-kind event. By combining the best of both Institutes' annual conferences into one unique conference, you will profit from unmatched networking opportunities with colleagues within and across disciplines.

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By: Chad Harden, PE, SE Do you want to get more involved with your local Orange County SEI Committee? We having a Whiskey Tasting Social Event on September 9th.  We'd love for you to join us for this event!

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By Amber Falk, Gary Gilbert, Chloe Gharios, Jesus Velazquez, and Cody Dodge Thirty civil engineering students from universities across the U.S. were given the unique challenge of competing in teams to produce the best bid for a city’s request for proposal (RFP) to construct new seawalls as part of the ASCE/Construction Institute (CI)’s Student Days competition in Costa Mesa, California, July 31-August 4. Each year students are selected through a competitive application process to participate, bringing top engineering students from across the country together to work in teams with students they’ve never met before on a “real-life” construction challenge. This year three students were selected from our local universities – two from Cal State Fullerton and one from Cal State Long Beach. 

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ASCE OC Branch is offering scholarship opportunities for you to consider!  Take the time to complete the application(s) available for the various scholarships as they apply to you.

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By: Izzy Loh On a warm Thursday in August, ASCE OC YMF hosted its “Bowling for a Cause” fundraiser at Irvine Lanes. With over 25 attendees, students, professionals, and friends gathered to bowl while having a few drinks and dinner.

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By: Isamar Escobar On July 18th, ASCE’s K-12 Committee participated in the 4-H State Leadership Conference at the University of California, Irvine. This conference brings together high school youth from across California in a four-day leadership training, networking, and learning experience. The K-12 committee held a 2-hour session on the Engineering Design Process which included a presentation on Civil Engineering, and the Marshmallow Tower Activity.

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Interpretation by Per Tvedt Narrative by Roxanne Follis and Remi Candaele The Orange County Younger Member Forum (OC YMF) was presented with the rare opportunity to welcome Henry Oster, author of “The Kindness of the Hangman” and one of the last Holocaust survivors, listen to his breathtaking story and go home with a memorable lesson of humanity.

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The ASCE OC YMF “Engineering: Behind the Scenes” brought a series of presentations by five prominent and well-respected leaders in the civil engineering field. This year’s series built upon last year’s event “Leadership and Success” by taking a look at the valuable, desirable, non-technical abilities and skills of successful engineers.

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By: Nestor Godinez The 8th annual ASCE OC YMF 2015 Basketball tournament was held on Saturday June 20, 2015.  The Basketball Tournament is a very popular tradition that pits teams against each other in competitive yet friendly 3-on-3 half court basketball. 

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By: Roxanne Follis Over the weekend of July 17th, 2015, 29 members from Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino/Riverside YMF went on a camping trip at the San Mateo Campground in San Onofre, California.

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By: Daniela Malott  and Amanda Heise On Tuesday July 21st YMF about 35 members and the board got together at the Lampost in Irvine for a fun Pizza night after work. The July General Meeting was an extra special event for attendees to meet the OC YMF board members and find ways to get involved in the organization for the coming year.

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