E N G I N E E R I N G AS A P U B L I C S E RV I C E :
D ES I G N S O LU T I O N S F O R
WAT E R U T I L I T Y FAC I L I T I ES
Q&A WITH WATER/WASTEWATER MARKET LEADER:
MARCO CABIBBO
Municipal and regional water departments must carry
out an enormously important job every day: delivering
safe and clean drinking water to customers in their cities
and districts. Without properly working facilities, this
task would be difficult if not impossible. That’s where P2S
comes in, our team provides mechanical and electrical
engineering support that ensures that water distribution
and treatment systems operate as designed.
Marco Cabibbo is P2S’ Water/Wastewater Market
Leader and formerly worked at the water departments
of the City of Monterey Park and the City of Vernon for
a combined total of 7 years. Marco is a member of the
Southern California Water Utility Association where he
represents P2S and spreads awareness of our services
in the water sector. We spoke to him about the state of
the industry and his experience leading projects at water
distribution, water treatment and sanitation facilities.
What entities comprise the water/wastewater market?
Are there any private entities involved?
MC: Most of the clients P2S targets are in the public
sector. Municipal utilities like the Long Beach Water
Department and regional water utilities like the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California are
some examples. Occasionally there will be private sector
water users that need our services, but by and large the
facilities we work on are publicly owned.
One example of a private water client is the Huntington
Library. The Huntington Library, Art Collections,
and Botanical Gardens, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is a
collections-based research and educational institution
serving scholars and the general public. We were asked
to evaluate their current water use and recommend water
and energy reduction measures. To date, we haven’t
provided any engineering services to the Huntington, but
we’re hopeful. If there’s water, and it needs to be moved
or treated, we can help. Our focus is on the electrical
and mechanical systems that move water, control
the treatment processes, and measure water-related
parameters. I’m always looking for successful Civil
engineers, hydrologists and chemists to team with for the
next P2S water/wastewater project.
What recent developments have occurred in Southern
California’s water/wastewater landscape?
MC: There was the recent passage of LA County’s There
was the recent passage of LA County’s Measure W ballot
initiative, which is a property tax that will fund new storm
water capture and treatment projects throughout Los
Angeles County. One of the goals of Measure W is to
capture more rainwater and keep polluted stormwater
from flowing into local water sources. Southern
California is a water-scarce region and so water supply
management is very important.
During the past few years, there has been a lot of
investment in water systems. Southern California is
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