West Yost Newsletter – Summer 2026

Across Northern California’s Central Valley and Nevada, communities are navigating evolving water needs, regulatory requirements, climate conditions, aging infrastructure, and continued growth. Building resilience means preparing for these changing conditions while developing systems that can reliably serve communities well into the future.

At West Yost, our work starts with understanding each community’s priorities. Through close collaboration and technical expertise, we help clients develop solutions that address current needs while providing long-term value.

Earlier this year, West Yost expanded our reach in Nevada, bringing our expertise and collaborative approach to a growing range of water and infrastructure needs. As we establish new relationships and deepen our understanding of the region, we look forward to becoming a trusted partner to communities across Nevada.

In this edition, you’ll find: 

• Aquifer Storage and Recovery – Testing underground water storage as a tool for long-term water supply resilience.
• Construction Management – Keeping Modesto’s complex River Trunk Pump Station Project moving through coordination and problem-solving.
• Septic-to-Sewer Conversion – Combining funding, infrastructure, and community engagement to improve public health and water quality.
• Operational Data and AI – Establishing guardrails that protect critical infrastructure while supporting innovation.
• Roots in Reno – Expanding West Yost’s partnerships and presence in Nevada.

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Summer 2026 Table of Contents:

• Project Spotlight: City of Davis ASR Pilot Testing
• Industry Insight: City of Modesto River Trunk Construction Management Project
• Project Spotlight: Sacramento Area Sewer District Septic-to-Sewer Program
• Regulatory Update: AWWA SCADA Logs—What Partners Need to Know
• Team Spotlight – Jonathan Lesperance – Roots in Reno
• Closing Message
• West Yost Word

Project Spotlight: City of Davis ASR Pilot Testing  

Testing Underground Water Storage for a More Resilient City of Davis 

Aquifer Storage and Recovery, or ASR, is what it sounds like: store water underground when there is extra and recover it when you need it. Think of it as a savings account for water. As part of the City of Davis ASR Pilot Testing program, West Yost is supporting the City of Davis (City) in evaluating whether treated drinking water can be safely stored in a natural aquifer beneath the community and recovered during dry months, drought conditions, or periods of higher demand.  

Think of it as a savings account for water.

During the pilot, more than 47 million gallons of treated drinking water have been stored underground so far, roughly the equivalent of 71 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The current phase of work is focused on recovering that water and collecting the data needed to understand how the aquifer responds. 

As a hydrogeologist, this is the kind of work I find very interesting. ASR brings together field monitoring, engineering, groundwater science, water quality sampling, and data analysis. Across a baseline period and three injection, storage, and recovery cycles, our team has tracked groundwater levels, flow rates, storage volumes, and water quality. We have also evaluated how the recovered water compares with regulatory standards and how native groundwater conditions influence long-term feasibility. 

Pilot testing is critical because every aquifer behaves differently. Data collected in the field helps answer practical questions: How does the aquifer respond to injection and pumping? What water quality trends emerge over time? And how much mixing is happening with the native groundwater?  

Based on the pilot results to date, the work has been successful and encouraging. The City is pleased with the progress of the project, and West Yost is continuing discussions with the City to evaluate potential next steps for implementation. 

For the City, these questions matter because roughly 80 percent of the City’s drinking water comes from the Sacramento River. During dry periods, those supplies can become more limited. ASR could give the City another tool to store water ahead of time and recover it when the community needs it most. 

What I appreciate most about this project is that it combines natural systems (the Sacramento River and the Yolo Subbasin aquifer) with designed infrastructure, river intake, treatment plant, pipelines, and wells to create a resilient, flexible, and sustainable water supply system that can adapt to changing conditions.   

With the City planning to advance ASR in 2027 beyond the pilot phase, aquifer storage and recovery could become an important component of the City’s long-term water resilience strategy, helping the City prepare for drought while protecting local groundwater resources for the future. 

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Industry Insight: City of Modesto River Trunk Construction Management Project

Construction Management in Action: Keeping Modesto’s River Trunk Project Moving 

For major construction projects, progress isn’t only about what gets built. It’s also about coordination, communication, and problem-solving that keep construction moving while balancing project and community needs. 

West Yost is supporting the City of Modesto with construction management services for the River Trunk Pump Station Project, an important investment in the City’s wastewater infrastructure. The project includes a new pump station and large pipelines that will help support reliable wastewater service for the community. 

Delivering infrastructure of this scale requires more than technical expertise. Construction must be coordinated around active roadways, businesses, industrial activity, and environmentally sensitive areas—all while essential public services continue operating. 

Recently, work along Tuolumne Boulevard was completed six days ahead of a key July 1 deadline, allowing the roadway to reopen before increased agricultural traffic associated with Modesto’s annual cannery season and helping maintain access during the local baseball season. 

While reopening a roadway is a visible sign of progress, milestones like this require significant work behind the scenes. West Yost’s construction management team works alongside the City, contractor, design team, and other partners to coordinate activities, monitor construction, maintain clear communication, and help address issues as they arise. 

As work progresses at the new pump station site, West Yost helps connect what was planned and designed with what is happening in the field, helping keep complex construction activities aligned and moving forward. 

Successful construction management also means keeping the bigger picture in mind. Infrastructure construction happens in communities where people live, work, travel, and operate businesses. Our role is to help clients navigate technical and logistical challenges while remaining mindful of those community needs. 

West Yost is proud to support the City of Modesto and work alongside the broader project team. By combining technical expertise, construction management experience, communication, and collaboration, we help clients advance critical construction projects with confidence. 

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Project Spotlight: Sacramento Area Sewer District Septic-to-Sewer Program

From Septic to Sewer: Building Resilient Communities with SacSewer  

For many communities, the shift from septic to public sewer systems is more than an infrastructure upgrade; it is a step toward greater public health, environmental protection, and long-term resilience. Septic systems can work well under the right conditions, but aging systems, poor maintenance, flooding, dense development, and changing groundwater conditions can cause untreated sewage to contaminate soils, groundwater, and nearby waterways. For underserved communities, these risks are often compounded by the high cost of repair or replacement, leaving residents with few practical options when systems begin to fail. 

That challenge was at the heart of the Sacramento Area Sewer District’s (SacSewer) nationally award-winning Septic-to-Sewer Program, developed to bring reliable public sewer service to disadvantaged communities in the Sacramento region. SacSewer, the second-largest sewage collection utility in California, serves more than 1.6 million customers and operates around the clock with nearly 800 staff. To expand SacSewer’s Septic-to-Sewer program, West Yost provided planning, feasibility, funding strategy, design, and implementation support to include an additional four communities from the initial Septic-to-Sewer project in the community of Freeport. Together, the program has provided sewer service to five communities (Freeport, Franklin, Hood, Linda Manor, and Old Florin Town), totaling 219 parcels, and constructed approximately 51,660 linear feet of new sewer pipeline.  

Septic-to-sewer conversions are expensive, especially in small, disadvantaged communities where the cost per connection can be high. With support from West Yost, SacSewer led the effort to secure funding for the conversion program through State Water Resources Control Board Clean Water State Revolving Fund grants and U.S. EPA Community Grants. 

In addition to these state and federal funding sources, SacSewer was able to access funding through Sacramento County American Rescue Plan Act funds, Sacramento County Economic Bank Credits, Sacramento County Department of Transportation cost-sharing, and non-rate, non-fee revenue from SacSewer’s Confluence Program, resulting in a total of approximately $48 million in funding. This external funding allowed the work to move forward at no cost to residents while avoiding added subsidy burdens on ratepayers. 

“The program’s results demonstrate what is possible when infrastructure investment, grant strategy, and community partnership come together.”

The project also required extensive coordination with community members. Each connection involved property-owner participation, permits to enter, sewer service agreements, lateral design, easements where needed, septic tank decommissioning, and on-property construction. SacSewer and West Yost supported this work through early feasibility studies, household income surveys, grant-ready preliminary design, and a robust community engagement program. Outreach included public meetings, newsletters, letters, a project webpage, an online comment form, a hotline, direct calls and emails, door-to-door outreach, and translation of outreach materials into Russian, Vietnamese, and Spanish. 

West Yost’s Monique Day served as project manager for the feasibility study, grant application, and design contract. Christina Ramirez served as design lead and later as project manager for final design and engineering services during construction. Throughout the project, West Yost worked closely with SacSewer’s Anne Tran to support key program administration and advance implementation. Their leadership reflects West Yost’s broader commitment to helping agencies advance resilient infrastructure solutions that meet community needs, secure critical funding, and protect long-term water quality. Our team looks forward to continuing to support SacSewer as the District expands this work to help more Sacramento-area communities. 

The program’s results demonstrate what is possible when infrastructure investment, grant strategy, and community partnership come together. Across the five communities, residents received free sewer connections, aging septic systems were removed from service, and long-term sewage reliability improved. The program, which received a 2026 National Environmental Achievement Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, offers a practical model for future Septic-to-Sewer efforts: stack funding sources, engage residents early and often, prepare private properties deliberately, and treat sewer conversion as a foundation for stronger communities and more resilient water systems. 

To learn more, read CWEA’s recent Septic-To-Sewer Program article or explore SacSewer’s program pages linked below:  

• SacSewer Program Website: SacSewer Septic-to-Sewer Program 
• SacSewer Press Release: SacSewer awarded a 2026 National Environmental Achievement Award from NACWA for their Septic-to-Sewer Program  
• CWEA Article: “Septic-To-Sewer Program Offers Insight into Helping Underprivileged Communities,” Clean Water magazine, CWEA, Issue 2, 2026. Roni Gehlke

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Regulatory Update: AWWA SCADA Logs—What Partners Need to Know

Operational Data, AI, and the Need for Resilience Guardrails

A recent U.S. EPA advisory offers an important reminder for water and wastewater utilities: operational data is sensitive information because it reveals how critical systems function. 

The advisory encourages utilities to carefully evaluate public records requests involving operational data, particularly following requests from artificial intelligence service providers for information such as SCADA logs, flow rates, water quality metrics, tank and reservoir levels, and equipment run-times. While these data points may seem routine on their own, utility leaders should evaluate them through a critical infrastructure resilience lens and not a purely administrative one.  

“Maintaining service continuity is more than an operational priority; it’s a fiduciary responsibility to ratepayers.” 

Broad requests made under public records laws for historical SCADA logs, high-frequency telemetry, equipment runtimes, or daily energy use reveal operational patterns, system dependencies, and even vulnerabilities within codependent systems (e.g., the energy-water nexus) to bad actors. 

For utilities, this is not just a cybersecurity concern. It is an imperative for safety, security, and resilience. 

At the same time, protecting sensitive information does not mean locking data away or avoiding modern tools. Utilities can continue to pursue innovation and explore AI-enabled solutions, but clear and enforceable governance is needed.  

“Guardrails” help guide organizations so they can move forward confidently and securely into the future. For example, in high-consequence systems that manage water pressure, chemical dosing, electric loads, or other critical functions, AI should remain advisory. IT environments must be clearly separated from operational controls. 

West Yost’s Resilience Services contain these integral guardrails. Our work helps utilities prepare for, respond to, and adapt to the new risks and opportunities that always come with the deployment of emerging technologies. 

As I recently wrote for AWWA Journal, resilience is no longer merely an aspirational planning goal; it is now fully essential for service continuity, financial stability, ratepayer responsibility, and long-term community confidence. 

“Resilience has become a financially material investment with quantifiable returns.” 

To learn more, read Andy’s full AWWA article, explore West Yost’s AI position papers, I Am the Guardrails, and visit our Resilience Services page. 

• AWWA Article: https://awwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/awwa.70090  
• West Yost Position Papers: https://www.westyost.com/position-papers/  
• West Yost Resilience Services: https://www.westyost.com/resilience-services/

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Team Spotlight – Jonathan Lesperance – Roots in Reno

I’m often asked why I joined West Yost to lead our expansion into Nevada. The answer is simple: I wanted to help build a more resilient future for the place I’ve called home for most of my life, with a firm whose reputation is built on quality, integrity, and technical excellence.  

“Water is the lifeblood of our communities – it underwrites our economy and sustains our culture.” – Jonathan Lesperance

I’m a native Nevadan – I was born in Reno and grew up in Elko (rural northern Nevada). It was in the context of rural Nevada where I first developed an appreciation for the landscapes, communities, and water resources that define life in the Great Basin. Growing up in the arid West gave me an appreciation for water at an early age. Fly fishing was the first steppingstone on a path that led to what has become a career, and really a life, focused on water issues. Living in a place where even small amounts of water can sustain entire ecosystems taught me how critical this resource is, and not just for biodiversity and environmental health. Water is the lifeblood of our communities – it underwrites our economy and sustains our culture. 

While I started my college career at the University of Nevada, Reno, I graduated from Arizona State University in 2009 – another landscape marked by water scarcity. After a brief stint in Arizona, my wife and I returned to Reno in 2012 to raise our family, including three kids and a rotating cast of dogs, chickens, and goats. Outside of work, I’m an avid outdoorsman. Most of my free time is spent exploring Nevada’s mountains, rivers, deserts, and public lands with my family. 

My passion for water ultimately led me into a career in water and wastewater infrastructure, where I’ve spent nearly two decades helping public agencies solve complex challenges related to water planning, treatment, and infrastructure. Joining West Yost and being part of a team dedicated to advancing water resources for future generations with a vision of being the leader in water in the West was an opportunity I could not pass up.  

I see Nevada as a natural extension of West Yost’s existing service area. The state faces many of the same challenges we address throughout the West: groundwater-dependent supplies, treatment and reuse opportunities, regulatory complexity, climatic stressors, and growing infrastructure demands driven by rapid population growth. These are exactly the kinds of challenges West Yost solves for communities across California and beyond, and we’re already at the table on several significant water projects in the region. 

That vision is the foundation of our Roots in Reno initiative. It reflects our commitment to showing up consistently, building genuine relationships, and investing in the people and communities we serve, not just pursuing projects. 

Most importantly, I believe that growth starts with people. Nevada is a promising market, and it’s also a place where great engineers want to build a career and a life. My goal is to help establish deep, lasting roots in this region, roots that support our clients, our communities, and our people for years to come. We’re grateful for the trust our clients have placed in us so far, and we’re excited about what’s ahead as we continue building our future in Nevada. 

Closing Message

After 15 years working with communities across California (the last seven with West Yost in Northern California), I’ve learned that our work has never really been about reacting to today’s hurdles. There are times when emergencies arise, and we do our best to provide lasting solutions with a quick turnaround, but our goal is to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges and minimize future emergencies. Whether it’s changing climate conditions, aging infrastructure, population growth, or evolving regulatory requirements, many of the forces shaping our communities are beyond anyone’s control. What we can manage is how thoughtfully we plan, collaborate, and invest in resilient solutions.

This edition of the newsletter highlighted exactly that. From local innovation and cross-agency partnerships to community engagement, infrastructure improvements, and our continued growth into Nevada, we’re expanding both our capabilities and our reach to better serve the communities that depend on us. Every new partnership and new market increases our diversity and strengthens our ability to bring practical experience and innovative thinking where it’s needed most.

What gives me confidence in the future isn’t just the projects we deliver. It’s the people at West Yost who work hard to complete them and the shared commitment to protecting water as one of our most valuable resources. Our West Yost team brings technical expertise, dedication, and genuine passion to the work they do. I am proud to work alongside leaders in the industry.

By partnering with our clients and helping them build reliable, adaptable water systems, we’re creating solutions that will continue serving communities for decades to come.

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The West Yost Word