Owen Zuidema (he/him) is an associate engineer at Trussell’s Oakland office with a background in Civil and Environmental Engineering, holding an M.S. from the University of California, Davis, and a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley. His research at UC Berkeley focused on wastewater-based epidemiology, where he contributed to public health efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic by tracing SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples across the Bay Area. While earning his master’s degree at UC Davis, he performed a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of lithium extraction from geothermal deposits in the Salton Sea basin in Southern California. Owen’s prior experience at East Bay Municipal Utility District involved feasibility studies, hydraulic modelling, and project management, contributing to critical drinking water projects in the Bay Area. At Trussell, Owen is an expert in the California Division of Drinking Water’s regulations for direct potable reuse and onsite nonpotable reuse, working closely with project owners to design and optimize water reuse systems from building to municipal scale. Owen has further experience in groundwater treatment system design, waste stream management, and environmental discharge compliance from a variety of projects across California.