Daniel L. Wade, P.E., G.E., F.ASCE, director of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) Water Capital Programs, has been named a Fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Wade’s directorship for SFPUC extends to the $2 billion 10-Year Water Capital Improvement Program and the $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program (WSIP). He has overall responsible charge for the successful delivery of over 100 projects, including dams, reservoirs, transmission facilities (e.g., tunnels, pipelines, pump stations), and other related water infrastructure. In its 16th year and over 97 percent complete, the WSIP will help provide reliable, affordable, high-quality water in an environmentally sustainable manner to the Commission’s 26 wholesale customers located throughout the Bay Area and to retail customers in San Francisco. Wade is also concurrently serving as a member of the Independent Review Board to oversee the Comprehensive Needs Assessment for the Oroville Dam Complex, a planning study to consider short- and long-term alternative plans to implement dam-safety improvements, working under an Interjurisdictional Personnel Exchange Agreement between the California Department of Water Resources and the SFPUC.
He previously managed the Sunol Valley Region of the WSIP, which gave him oversight for $1.4 billion in projects, including the $800 million Calaveras Dam Replacement Project. In this role, he was responsible for providing leadership for the project team and managing the scope, schedule, and budget of the project – design, environmental review, bid and award, and construction. He was directly responsible for providing leadership and coordination for the construction management team, engineering team, environmental team, operations, water quality, legal, right of way, and other internal and external services.
Prior to joining the SFPUC in 2007, Wade worked as a consultant for 18 years in the water infrastructure industry as principal engineer and vice president with MWH Global, responsible for leading multidisciplinary teams of engineers and environmental professionals in the planning, design, environmental permitting, and construction of water resources and hydropower infrastructure, including dams, reservoirs, levees, pump stations, power plants, conveyance facilities, treatment plants, and related appurtenances. Some of his projects as a consultant were the Folsom Dam Raise and Auxiliary Spillway Project, Shasta Dam Raise and Water Resources Investigation, LL Anderson Dam Spillway Modifications, and Big Tujunga Dam Rehabilitation.
Wade has been an active member of both ASCE and the United States Society on Dams (USSD) for more than 20 years. He served as vice chair and chair of the ASCE Geotechnical Group of the Golden Gate Branch, San Francisco Section from 2001 to 2003. More recently, he served on the Board of Directors of USSD (2011 to 2017), including the last year as vice president, and continues to serve as an Ex-Officio member of the Board.
He earned his B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and his M.S. degree in civil/geotechnical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a registered civil and geotechnical engineer in California.
