Lake Forest, CA — After 45 years of dedicated service and exemplary leadership as General
Manager with El Toro Water District (ETWD), Robert R. (Bob) Hill is set to
retire July 1, 2019.
During Bob’s tenure as General Manager he was responsible for numerous innovative projects which saved the district and its customers millions of dollars while saving billions of gallons of potable water from being imported to be used for irrigation.
Bob is recognized for the many programs, initiatives, and infrastructure projects that ETWD customers have benefited from today.
Among his several achievements are the following:
- Created the ETWD Community Advisory Group (CAG), which still meets today;
- Championed the internal effort for ETWD to become a “District of Distinction” an accreditation issued by the Special District Leadership Foundation;
- Under Bob’s leadership, ETWD was awarded the Transparency Certificate of Excellence Award, an honor presented by the Special District Leadership Foundation;
- Developed and implemented an expansion plan for the El Toro Reservoir to increase capacity to 275 million gallons from 223 gallons while also incorporating two new partners on the project: Moulton Niguel and Santa Margarita Water Districts;
- Introduction of a Water Budget-Based Tiered Conservation Rate Structure for customers;
- Two-phased Recycled Water Expansion Project and development of a new Tertiary Treatment Plan that produces over 450 million gallons of water per year for irrigation use within the District.
Throughout his years at ETWD, Bob always led by example, has been a true leader, team player and collaborator within the Orange County water industry. He established many partnerships with neighboring water agencies and his leadership and consensus building style helped improve services and achieve economies of scale through cost sharing including equipment, projects and staff. This sharing of resources proved to only benefit customers and partnering agencies. His collaborative leadership approach proved effective to solve problems such as water reclamation/recycling, storage, and drought-related issues.
“Bob’s strategic vision established many significant partnerships that will help us navigate a challenging future”, said Board President Jose Vergara. “His principles to approach programs and projects collaboratively through partnerships has become part of our day-to-day operations.”
As General Manager, ETWD, Bob implemented policies adopted by the board of directors and managed day-to-day operations associated with all aspects of water, wastewater, and recycled water services. He was instrumental in maintaining a qualified and productive staff while focusing on ETWD’s mission. He is known and recognized as an outstanding industry leader and a true public servant. Bob will sincerely be missed by both the board and his loyal staff.
Bob is looking forward to spending time with his wife and family while enjoying planning the next phase of life.
About ETWD
The El Toro Water District is a District of Distinction accredited by the Special District Leadership Foundation because of its commitment to good governance and to ethical and sound operating practices. ETWD provides full‐service potable water, wastewater and recycled water for use across portions of the cities of Aliso Viejo, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo and the entire city of Laguna Woods.
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The mission of El Toro Water District is to provide its customers a safe, adequate and reliable supply of water and wastewater service in an environmentally and economically responsible way.
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