Cheng receives AWWA award of excellence

Coachella Valley Water District's Assistant General Manager Robert Cheng's accomplishments and service to the water profession have been recognized by the 2024 Abel Wolman Award of Excellence presented by the American Water Works Association (AWWA).

The award spotlights those whose careers in the water works industry exemplify vision, creativity, and excellent professional performance characteristic of civil engineer Abel Wolman (1892-1989). He was a world-renowned water treatment expert and pioneer of modern sanitary engineering.

A citation from AWWA's Board of Directors says Cheng "has been a significant contributor to the Partnership for Safe Water and the Partnership for Clean Water from inception. His active service and leadership on the AWWA Standards Council and Water Utility Council, and with the Water Research Foundation, have demonstrated vision and beneficially impacted the drinking water and wastewater communities."

The award was presented at the AWWA Annual Conference & Exposition in Anaheim on June 11. The largest organization of water supply professionals in the world, AWWA promotes effective water management.

Cheng has worked in the public water sector for more than three decades, including various technical and management positions at the Metropolitan District of Southern California and the Long Beach Water Department. He has been Assistant General Manager of CVWD since 2013.

Among his numerous posts, Cheng served as president of the State Water Contractors Board of Directors from May 2023 to May 2024.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, he holds a doctorate in Civil Engineering from UCLA. He is a California Registered Professional Engineer, Registered Professional Operator, and has California drinking water T5 and D5 certifications.

Coachella Valley Water District is a public agency governed by a five-member board of directors. The district provides domestic and irrigation water, agricultural drainage, wastewater treatment and reclamation services, regional stormwater protection, groundwater management, and water conservation. It serves approximately 113,000 residential and business customers across 1,000 square miles, primarily in Riverside County and portions of Imperial and San Diego counties.

Media Contact: Lorraine Garcia, [email protected], (760) 398-2661, ext. 2549, or (760) 695-4007.

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