Host: State Water Resources Control Board
Region: Northern California
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Public Health, Waste Management, Water Management, Water Policy
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Research, Data Analysis, Environmental Justice, Communication, Critical Thinking

Service Needs & Plans

Statewide Wastewater Needs Assessment (WNA) contract will be active beginning the summer of 2023 and go through 2027 to support the human right to sanitation/safe drinking water by developing a list of communities (targeting disadvantaged or severely disadvantaged communities) with sanitation systems at-risk of threatening human health and/or the environment and follow-up with proposed solutions/affordability, funding mechanisms:
-Attend team meetings monthly/as-needed, complete assigned action items, and support public outreach and engagement activities with contractor and Water Board staff.
-Review and prepare summaries of wastewater sanitation data and research papers.
-Support the Water Boards and contractors in the implementation of the Water Boards 23-25 Racial Equity Action Plan, including community outreach, development of transparent public data maps and data visualizations, and Assembly Bill 2108 required environmental justice outreach, community data assessments, and project findings.
-Prepare wastewater data analysis, mapping, and collect federal, state, local funding resource to support public access to this information.
-Build capacity for local/sanitation agencies statewide (particularity those that are disadvantaged), State Water Resources Control Board, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, tribal governments in access to equitable sanitation and community engagement on proposed waste discharge requirement permitting projects.

Project Description

1. Support priority work to help disadvantaged California communities achieve equitable access to sanitation and access to funding to support implementation.
2. Support Water Board staff in implementing outreach plans, research, and deliverable preparation for equitable community outreach on potential impacts from waste discharge requirement permitting projects and in the implementation of the Water Boards 23-25 Racial Equity Action Plan.
3. Community outreach templates, guidance, community data analysis, agendas, technical research summaries, visualizations/mapping assist in preparing the foundation for future/ongoing efforts to implement the WNA, the Water Boards 23-25 Racial Equity Action Plan, and Assembly Bill 2108 findings and community outreach.
4. These resources support the Water Boards capacity in human right to sanitation/water by having a dedicated fellow to support the implementation of these projects and to organize templates/guidance specific to waste discharge requirements on equitable outreach, engagement, community data assessments, and technical finding summaries.

Desired Skills

-Project management
-Community engagement
-Research in environmental justice and related socio-economic demographics and ability to summarize research in writing
-Languages (besides English)
-GIS Mapping
-Data Collection/Visualizations
-Data/Quantitative Analysis
-Environmental/Climate Justice
-Flexible/patient/adaptable
-Works well in a team or individually
-Critical Thinker
-Detail-Oriented
-Accountable

Organization & Community Highlights

The Water Boards mission is to “preserve, enhance, and restore the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health, and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper water resource allocation and efficient use, for the benefit of present and future generations.” The Water Boards acknowledge and dedicate resources to the implementation of the human right to water (Resolution No. 2016-0010/SAFER drinking water program), racial equity, diversity, justice, and inclusion (through resolution 2021-0050 and the recently supported 23-25 Racial Equity Action Plan) as core values in all the work we do. Assembly Bill 2108 went into effect January 2023 and has spurred specific work in community engagement to assess environmental justice impacts associated with waste discharge requirements and other water quality permitting/policies. The Water Boards culture is to provide a work environment free of harassment or discrimination for staff, partners, and the public.

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid