UnTapped 2019 Session 4: San Jose

On April 12 and 13th, 2019 WELL’s 12 UnTapped Fellows explored important issues faced by the Northern California community, including water distribution, purification and desalination costs, water rate controls, and stormwater storage, as they immersed themselves in the heart of the Silicon Valley–San Jose, California.

On Friday April 12th, Fellows toured the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center (SVAWPC). The SVAWPC takes in and disinfects secondary treated water from the neighboring San Jose/Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility using microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light to produce purified water for Santa Clara County’s 1.9 million residents. At the Advanced Purification Center, Fellows learned about best practices regarding high-tech processes to create sustainable water supplies.  

During this session, we were joined by some fantastic experts including Tony Estremera, and Nina Hawk from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, and Steven Ritchie, from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Fellows interviewed guests while practicing a method of inquiry to extract practical lessons that could apply to their diverse hometowns, allowing them to enrich their own decision-making process.

On day 2, WELLows participated in a Public Narrative Training, where they learned and practiced how to link the ‘story of self’, ‘story of us’ and ‘story of now’ to become better leaders and communicators.

Click here to learn more about WELL’s UnTapped Fellowship.