SFPUC Announces Director of Water System Improvement Program

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2014) – The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) announced the selection of Daniel L. Wade, P.E., G.E. as the new Director of the agency’s $4.6 billion Water System Improvement Program (WSIP). Entering its tenth year, the WSIP is one of the largest water infrastructure programs in the country, and will enable the SFPUC to provide water in an environmentally sustainable manner to its 26 wholesale customers located throughout the Bay Area and to retail customers in San Francisco. Mr. Wade replaces Julie L. Labonte, who held the position for seven years. “The program is now facing some of its most demanding challenges,” explained Emilio Cruz, SFPUC Assistant General Manager. “We are confident that Dan’s strong leadership and water infrastructure expertise will enable us to complete this program successfully.” In his new role, Mr. Wade will oversee the entire program, including four geographic regions with 16 projects currently under construction totaling approximately $2.7 billion. The WSIP includes 82 water infrastructure projects, including the construction of a new dam, three tunnels, an ultraviolet treatment facility and large-diameter pipelines, as well as the rehabilitation and upgrades of existing storage, treatment and transmission facilities. For the past six years, Mr. Wade has served as the Regional Project Manager for the Sunol Valley projects within the WSIP. In this role, he has provided superb leadership in managing the planning, design, environmental review and construction for ten projects in the Sunol Valley totaling more than $1.3 billion. These include the largest and some of the most complex projects in the program, including the Calaveras Dam Replacement, New Irvington Tunnel and Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Treated Water Reservoir. Prior to joining the SFPUC in 2007, Mr. Wade worked as a consultant in the water infrastructure industry, most recently as Vice President and Regional Manager for Dams and Hydropower Services with MWH Americas. His experience includes leading multi-disciplinary teams on a range of infrastructure projects. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the US Society on Dams (USSD) and holds current membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) and the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA). He also served as past Chair of the Geotechnical Committee for the San Francisco Section of ASCE. Mr. Wade earned his B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1989 and his M.S. Degree in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1992. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and Geotechnical Engineer in California.