Safe Drinking Water for Disadvantaged Communities
Topic: Safe Drinking Water for Disadvantaged
Communities
Speakers: Maureen Kerner, P.E., Research Engineer,
Office of Water Programs at Sacramento State and Associate Director,
Environmental Finance Center at Sacramento State
Brian Currier, P.E., Research Engineer, Office of Water Programs at
Sacramento State
When:Friday, March 15th, 2024, 12 pm to 1pm
Where: Virtual (via Zoom)—Link to virtual
seminar to be sent upon RSVP.
The recording of the webinar is available here.
Topic Overview
For nearly a decade, the Office of Water Programs (OWP) at California
State University, Sacramento (Sac State) has been helping small,
disadvantaged, and otherwise underserved communities throughout
California and the nation develop plans and access funding to address
substandard drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and services.
OWP research engineers Maureen Kerner and Brian Currier will discuss
community water needs in California, California's Human Right to Water
(AB 685), various state agency programs and initiatives for improved
water services for all, and OWP's involvement through contracts with the
CA State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and EPA. The
speakers will discuss OWP's collaboration with the State Water Board,
EPA, disadvantaged communities, and Sacramento State students through
technical assistance addressing funding for equity and resilience,
environmental finance programs, water sector needs assessments, lead
testing and remediation at child care centers, and PFAS drinking water
well testing.
Through these and other technical assistance activities, OWP directly
supports several Sac State Strategic Plan imperatives and confronts
inequities, transforms student lives, and strengthens communities in
alignment with Sac State's goals as an Anchor University.
About the Speakers
Maureen Kerner is a research engineer with the
Office of Water Programs at Sacramento State. She also serves as
the associate director of the Environmental Finance Center at
Sac State for EPA Region 9. She holds a bachelor's degree in
civil and environmental engineering from University of
Wisconsin—Madison, a master's degree in civil and environmental
engineering from Oregon State University, and a California
professional engineer's license. Her work supports communities,
tribes, and federal and state agencies in developing technical,
managerial, financial, and equitable (TMFE) capacity building
for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater programs.
Brian Currier is a research engineer with
the Office of Water Programs at Sacramento State. He holds
bachelor's and master's degrees in civil and environmental
engineering from University of California, Davis, and a
California professional engineer's license. His work focuses
on stormwater management effectiveness evaluation; funding
stormwater programs; source control and elimination;
workforce development; watershed green stormwater
infrastructure; capture optimization; stormwater benefits
evaluation; monetizing water services; drinking water
quality; and small wastewater systems.
