Retired Water System Head Tours L.A. Aqueduct During Historic Runoff
By Jessica Johnson
A North Dakota native who moved to the San Fernando Valley with his family when he was 10 years old, Duane Georgeson attended the University of California Los Angeles and graduated with a degree in engineering. Shortly after graduation, he applied for a job and was hired in 1959 by LADWP as an engineer. He quickly worked his way up, promoting to Chief Engineering of Water Works and then Senior Assistant General Manager of the Water System, holding that position from 1982 to 1989.
More than 50 years after his first day with LADWP, Georgeson recently toured the L.A. Aqueduct in in June 2023, taking in a familiar and yet changed sight. Walking alongside Assistant Aqueduct Manager Russel Pierson and Aqueduct Operations and Conservation Manager Eric Tillemans, Georgeson learned the extent of this year’s historic snowpack, which measured 296 percent of normal, bringing 1 million acre-feet or 326 billion gallons of water through the Owens Valley.
Following his visit to the Tinemaha Reservoir Spillway expansion project, Georgeson said, “The extensive work accomplished by LADWP aqueduct forces in managing the record runoff is commendable." He adds, “The innovation and creative solutions the team designed were impressive.”
The last time the valley saw close to this much water was in 1969, which held the previous record of 270 percent of normal for snowpack. Georgeson was then Aqueduct Engineer for the Department. He recalled how the floods of that year took out the 395 highway, the main route from Los Angeles to Bishop.
During his 30 years at LADWP, not only did Georgeson experience the 1969 historic wet year that resulted in the flooding of the L.A. Aqueduct, but he was also present for the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, a destructive 6.6 earthquake that led to major repairs of the Van Norman Reservoir Complex.
“As Senior Assistant General Manager for the Water System, Duane was largely responsible for developing the supportive team concept, where the various business units work cooperatively to solve issues through open communication and substantial cross training. That still exists today. He always put an emphasis on seeking maximum value out of the Water System expenditures and was a major force in developing the Department’s original Responsibility Cost Accounting System in the 1970’s.”
Jerry Gewe
LADWP Retiree
Georgeson had a long, illustrious career as an engineer, working in water agencies throughout Southern California for more than five decades. After 30 years of service with LADWP, he transferred to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), where he worked for several years and then continued working with additional water agencies. He officially retired in May 2012.
Photos courtesy of Russel Pierson
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