OUR TEAM

Alex Bucher, PE – President / Principal Engineer

Alex is a registered Civil Engineer in California with 20 years of experience and has special competency in the fields of civil and environmental engineering, recycled water, and planning. Alex has managed multi-disciplinary teams in the United States and overseas for a variety of projects, including recycled water planning and implementation, water resources planning, permitting, and hydraulic modeling. Alex holds a Master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Southern California, an MBA from San Diego State University, and is an AWWA certified Cross-Connection Control Program Specialist.

Ernie Liu, PE – CFO

Ernie is a seasoned finance professional and CFO with over 20 years experience in a variety of industries, particularly in the A/E/C fields. Ernie has strong skills in corporate finance including capital structure management, mergers and acquisitions, and operations. Ernie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of California San Diego and an MBA from San Diego State University.

Andrea Thomas, PE – Vice-President / Principal Engineer

Andrea is a registered Civil Engineer in California with 18 years of experience across a broad civil infrastructure spectrum including transportation, water, wastewater and planning.  Andrea has a particular expertise in project planning, management, and execution.    Andrea holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University.

Steve Howell, RLS – Land Surveyor

Steve has 30 years of experience in field surveying and has in-depth knowledge of boundary research and resolution, topographic surveys, preparation of right of way maps and easement plats, and preparation of ALTA surveys and property subdivision mapping. He was the senior land surveyor for projects such as State Route 56, State Route 180, and Mission Valley East Light Rail Transit Extension. Steve has a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Construction Management from Colorado State University.

Joe Schnitlzer – Senior Designer

Joe has been involved in design and preparation of construction drawings, specifications, cost estimating, field investigations, and construction support services for over 40 years. Typical projects include multi-faceted utility systems, water and wastewater conveyance and storage facilities, and site improvements In addition, Joe has also been responsible for many shop drawing reviews and construction support for projects involving steel, prestressed concrete, cast-in-place concrete tanks and associated vaults, and piping and site work.

Tranh Huynh – Engineer

Tranh has been involved in the design and preparation of construction drawings and specifications, recycled water conversion projects, and plan review services for over 12 years. Recent projects include Amador Water Agency Regional Reclamation Study, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Recycled Water Onsite Conversion, West Basin MWD Customer Development Consulting Services, watermain extensions for Olivenhain MWD, and plan review services for Otay WD. Tranh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California San Diego.

Bob Gervais – Engineer

Bob Gervais has 12 years of civil and engineering experience, including construction management, cross connection testing, site surveys, and preparation of retrofit plans. His background includes extensive experience with 150+ on-site recycled water inspection and retrofit services for agencies such as the Otay WD, the City of Ontario, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Bob also prepared various Title 22 Engineering Reports for Otay WD and Rincon Del Diablo MWD. Other assignments included construction inspector of water, recycled water, and sewer system facilities within the OMWD 4S Ranch development and in-house staff extension for plan review services for Padre Dam MWD.

Marlen Cervantes – Assistant Engineer

Marlen graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor degree in civil engineering. She was a recipient of the San Diego Foundation Qualcomm STEM 4-year and the William and Patricia Moises Scholarships. Projects include recycled water conversion for landscape irrigation and industrial use for Agencies such as West Basin MWD and Olivenhain MWD. She also provides improvement plan review for Otay WD and Rincon Del Diablo MWD.

AWWA Certified Cross-Connection Control Specialist Team

Our team has over 20 years of experience in assisting various Agencies in Southern California with the onsite inspection (post meter) of proposed recycled water systems, the survey of existing irrigation systems, annual inspections, and potable water and recycled water cross-connection testing. Our inspectors are American Water Works Association (AWWA) certified Cross-Connection Control Specialist and have successfully inspected over 1,000 irrigation systems and conducted over 500 cross-connection tests for sites such as hospitals, schools, golf courses, homeowners association, commercial and industrial centers, and parks.