By the time Gerald Smart completed his presentation to the CSD Board last week, the project manager for Veolia Water very nearly received a standing ovation.

“What impresses me about this company (Veolia) is their professionalism,” said CSD President Ray Tetreault. “Gerald (Smart) is very good; he’s on top of things and you can tell they are the real deal. They’ve (Veolia) done a yeoman’s job out here.”

While some of Smart’s PowerPoint presentation might have been too technical for some, the fact that he had prepared such a detailed report at all spoke volumes to a board that saw little in the way of reporting and accountability from the town’s last water and sewer vendor.

When Veolia came to Discovery Bay in Dec. 2008, the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) had pinpointed 34 previous areas of concern at the town’s four water and sewer plants. When the RWQCB came back last August, there were only three suggested areas to be looked at.

“That pretty much says it all,” said Tetreault.

The CSD Board hired Veolia last year on a 12-month trial contract. But at last week’s meeting, Tetreault said he was so impressed with Veolia’s work that he was recommending the board discuss extending Veolia’s contract at a the next CSD meeting in December.

“I’m pleased with that (the board’s satisfaction); I am,” said Smart. “We’ve had some challenges, and we’re not done with everything yet, but it’s something we’re working toward.”

Discovery Bay General Manager Virgil Koehne sees Tetreault’s recommendation as clear endorsement of Smart and his staff.

“I think they are doing well so far, and the board is showing they have given their vote of confidence. I work with them (Veolia) on a daily basis and I’ve noticed a big change in the way they do things from the way SouthWest (the town’s former water and sewer vendor) did things. They are a more prepared and organized company – and it shows.”

It wasn’t long ago, however, that Discovery Bay was struggling with its longtime water and sewer company, SouthWest Water Company. The situation finally came to a head last year when a 100,000-gallon sewage spill and subsequent state-imposed fines left the town with more questions than answers. Who is responsible for the significant fines remains in question, and litigation might be on the horizon.

For Smart’s part, the board’s praise is satisfying, but he’s quick to add that work remains to be done: “I’ve been here almost a year and we’ve accomplished a lot, but there is still a lot to do. One of our biggest challenges will be continued maintenance. Our program is in place and now we need to be able to maintain it and that takes a lot of time.

“The other big challenge is turbidity, which is cloudiness in the water due to the way we process it, and there are no additional processes that remove those solids in the water. If you have high turbidity under the new (state ) guidelines, then it has to be dealt with.

“And the third thing are costs. As a manager I have to be fiscally responsible to the company and to the town as well … I’ve been here almost a year and we’ve accomplished a lot, but there’s still a lot to do. We have four plants out here and around 995 pieces of equipment. There’s always something to be done.”