Welcome to the show! 

Today we’re joined by Leslie Payne, Customer Service Manager at Padre Dam Municipal Water District. 

With 25 years of experience in the water industry, Leslie brings extensive expertise, perspective, and heart to her role. She’s built a career grounded in empathy, communication, and a true passion for serving her community. 

In this episode, Leslie shares her philosophy on what drives exceptional customer experiences and how teamwork, technology, and innovation come together to make a lasting difference. 

We’ll also dive into Padre Dam’s new payment platform and how it’s improving convenience and connection for customers. 

Plus, Leslie offers thoughtful advice for anyone looking to grow in their career or strengthen their approach to customer service. 

By the end of this conversation, you’ll gain a renewed appreciation for the people behind the phones, the emails, and the counter — the friendly faces who keep the District running each and every day.

Hi Water Drop listeners.

We have another great episode for you.

This time, I’m sitting down with East County Advanced Water Purification Engineering Manager, Rebecca Abbott.

If you aren’t familiar, the East County AWP Program is a water reuse project that will supply up to 30-percent of east San Diego County’s drinking water demands by turning recycled water into clean drinking water.

This project will reduce dependence on imported water, and create a local water supply once it goes online in late 2026.

Rebecca is managing the latest segment of the project that began construction in May of this year. It will rehab an existing 8-mile sewer pipeline and install a new 9-mile residuals pipeline which are byproducts of the new East County AWP treatment facility.

She gets into the details of the project and paints the picture of how this portion of the project fits into the overall program. Construction runs through a popular park, Mission Trails Regional Park, so we talk about that too.

If you’re interested in water reuse or water reliability this episode is for you.

Let’s welcome Rebecca Abbott to the show. 

We have Shawna Fakhouri back on the podcast.

She’s the Park and Recreation Operations Administrator at Santee Lakes.

This time we are talking about what’s new at the park including how Park and Recreation Month is being celebrated with some discounts and special offerings. 

Shawna has been at the park for roughly 18 years so she has an abundance of knowledge to share. 

She’s wears many hats at the park from writing the park’s monthly newsletter, handling the social media pages, to organizing the many fun events- among other duties- she is fully emersed in all things Santee Lakes. 

We talk about what’s new in terms of fishing and camping, plus, a new Santee Lakes app in the works and when that’s set to launch.

Let’s welcome Shawna Fakhouri to the show.

This episode will provide you with a closer look into the important work of Padre Dam's laboratory staff.

We will hear from Padre Dam's Lab Supervisor, Phil Stevens and QA/QC Specialist, Melissa Marques.

They delve into the different testing performed and how things will look a little different once the East County Advanced Water Purification Program goes online.

If you are interested in learning more about a vital aspect of our water system, you’ll leave this episode with quite a few takeaways.

Please welcome Phil Stevens and Melissa Marques to the show.

Padre Dam’s Director of Planning and Engineering, Lewis Clapp and Padre Dam's Engineering Manager, Michael Hindle are on the mic. 

Lewis and Michael have years of experience in engineering and they are true experts in the field. They are great at their jobs and most importantly, they are passionate about their work and making a positive impact in the community. 

This episode is informational and provides lots of takeaways. It also gives you a glimpse into the careers of some of the exceptional professionals that make up the Padre Dam workforce. 

Whether it's a stranded baby bunny or a bird caught in fishing line, wildlife rescues happen from time to time at Santee Lakes. Today we're chatting with Lake Maintenance Program Lead, Ray Bach who is well known for helping hundreds of animals over the past 12 years. In this episode, we get a glimpse into his life at the park and what led to his passion for animals. He provides tips if you see a stranded animal and how he's prepping for an influx of baby animals this spring. Let's welcome Ray Bach to The Water Drop Podcast.

In this episode, we talk about what’s new at Santee Lakes for the winter season. Park and Recreation Operations Administrator, Shawna Fakhouri talks about stocking the lakes, camping including how to score a discount if you’re a local, and so much more!

With the holidays around the corner, we're talking all things sewer pipelines in this episode. Padre Dam's Construction and Maintenance Crew Supervisor, Daniel Lockart explains what shouldn't go down the drain, the robotic cameras that are used to monitor sewer mains and also, the strangest thing that's been found and caused a sewer backup. 

Are you looking to switch careers? Are you just entering into the workforce? Padre Dam's Director of Human Resources and Administrative Services, Lisa Sorce is on the podcast to talk about careers in the water industry.  She delves into opportunities within our District and beyond, tips during the application process and what a career in this industry could look like for you. 

Looking to revamp your yard or replace your toilet? Padre Dam's Communications Coordinator Emma Shea is on the podcast to share some helpful tips on how to save money on your next project!